Child's Play
by Ashelina
Summary: Piper has killed a witch guilt now consumes her. Six months later, the vengeful ghost may just end her pain...or get her demon son to help. Completed
1. Teaser and Prologue

Submitter's Note: This story is not mine. It's Kristen's, owner of WWoC. I am just trying to get it publicity. Please just read it, it's awesome! Please review as well, I'm sure she'd love to see how well it's received if she ever got wind of this.

Prologue

Piper played with the strings on the hood of her jacket, trying not to shiver in the cool afternoon drizzle. Slowly she pulled her hands up inside her sleeves. Her nearly frozen fingers clenched into fists as she glanced up at her grandmother. They stood under an oversized black umbrella, her family huddled together amongst the large crowd.

"Now?" Piper whispered.

"Not yet," her grandmother said quietly. Piper nodded and felt her older sister's hand fall lightly on her shoulder. Piper glanced over at Prue and saw that her eyes were glistening in the few rays of sunshine that had made their way down. But then Prue blinked and turned to watch the priest. Piper decided that she had better do the same. But he'd been talking so much. She couldn't remember what he had said. And now that she tried to listen again she was lost. Everyone else was nodding, crying, or staring at the ground. The whole thing seemed boring to Piper.

"Grams, I wanna go home." She reached up and tugged on her grandmother's jacket. Grams was usually so talkative, always playing with them. But she'd been silent for so long that day. And now she held up one finger to her lips, trying to quiet Piper. After a moment she shifted Piper's younger sister, Phoebe, from one arm to the other. Little Phoebe was sound asleep, her head resting on Grams' shoulder.

Piper bit her lip and looked back at the priest again. But finally her eyes were drawn to the long shiny box that sat right in front of her. Piper couldn't see over it, even as she balanced on her tiptoes. On the other side was a bunch of people all in black. Each had already tried to hug and kiss her, even as she'd wriggled out of their grasp. She knew that as soon as the priest stopped talking, they would try again. But she could run and hide. There were statues and big marble stones everywhere. She could crouch behind one of those and they'd never find her.

"When's Mommy coming?" Piper asked, turning back to her sister. She realized how loud her voice sounded compared to the priest's. But it hardly seemed to matter. Everyone was looking away, as if she had scared them. Piper frowned. She'd been waiting all day to see her mommy, to be held by her, to hear the story her mom had promised to read. "Prue? I want Mommy. You said she'd be here."

"I didn't say that," Prue insisted, shaking her head. Piper regarded her sister as Prue fought away tears. She twisted around, staring up at her grandmother and Piper could hear the desperation in her voice. She seemed terrified that their grandmother might not believe her. "I didn't tell her that Grams, I didn't."

Piper eyed her sister suspiciously. Something felt wrong. Prue didn't cry, not when Phoebe broke her toys, not when she got yelled at, not even when she fell down. Her mother had always said Prue was brave, which to Piper meant that her sister never, ever cried. But she was very close to crying now.

Piper's heartbeat quickened as her frustration increased. Her grandmother kept silent, refusing to tell her what she so desperately wanted to know. Piper whirled around, expecting to see her mother beneath one of the many umbrellas. Everyone that they knew was standing around them, but not her mom. She wasn't there.

"Grams, I want Mommy!" Piper said, her voice even louder this time. She noticed several people turning to stare at her, but she didn't care. They could look all they wanted. Still her grandmother seemed upset. Now even her eyes were watering.

"Piper, honey, please, shh," she said quickly. "I already told you-"

"I want her now!" Piper clenched her fists even tighter in her jacket sleeves. She could feel the back of her eyes stinging with tears. And then there was the anger, that terrible fury that they were not listening to her. Her grandmother, even her older sister, the person she trusted most in the world...

"Piper, stop it!" Prue said suddenly. Her voice broke as she glared angrily at her sister. Piper shrunk back, trying to hide behind her grandmother's legs. "Just be quiet!"

"Prudence!" Grams scolded the older girl, but her voice was gentle as she rested her hand on Prue's back.

"That's enough."

"But you told her already," Prue said, her voice dropping as she pressed her lips together. Prue wasn't going to cry, so instead she turned and hid her face in her grandmother's jacket. Piper realized that the priest had stopped talking. Now everyone was watching them. "You told her about Mommy."

"Why's she not here?" Piper asked again as her voice fell to a whisper. Suddenly all of those eyes seemed to bother her. Everyone was staring at her and her family, and they all knew something that Piper did not. She waited as her grandmother passed Phoebe on to a friend. Then she reached down and picked Piper up, holding her close as the rain fell around them. Piper clung to her grandmother's neck and hugged her tightly. But Grams pulled away a little so that she was face to face with Piper. The little girl shivered as thunder crackled in the distance.

"Piper," she said slowly. "Your Mommy's not coming back. She died, honey."  
Piper could see Prue's grip tighten on their grandmother's jacket, and Grams reached down again to pat her on the shoulder, trying to soothe the older girl. Piper shook her head, trying to wriggle away, to get back to the ground. Grams was lying to her. Her mother wouldn't leave her. She loved her. Piper had heard her say it a million times.

"No!" Piper said quickly. They didn't understand. "Mommy'll be back. She's just hiding, 'cause I got her mad."

"Piper, she wasn't mad at you." Grams looked surprised, but Piper nodded vigorously. They needed to know. Her mother would come back; she wasn't going to leave them. They just didn't understand yet.

"Uh-huh, I spilt the milk, 'member? I got her stuff all messy."

"Piper, no-" Grams started, but Piper pressed on.

"And I said Phoebe's stupid and made Mommy yell at me."

"But she wasn't mad at you," Grams said again as the little girl finally allowed her to speak. "She loved you, Piper." Her grandmother stopped and looked over at the long shiny box. Then she stared down at Prue who had finally pulled her face out of the jacket. "But she's gone now."

"She's gone?" Piper asked. Already she could feel those tears stinging at the back of her eyes again. She swallowed hard. She wasn't going to cry like the others. She was a big girl like Prue. That's what Mommy said.

"How long?"

"Forever," Prue said. Piper could barely hear her. But she saw her sister looking up at her and Piper knew she wasn't lying. Prue didn't look like that when she was lying.

"But I don't want her gone," Piper said. She pulled away from her grandmother, kicking and pushing until Grams was finally forced to set her back down. Then suddenly the priest was standing there, holding out the rose that she'd been eyeing all morning. He nodded toward the big black box as he handed it to her.  
"Go put that up there, Piper. Your Mommy will see it then."

"Michael, please..." Grams shook her head as Piper stared at the rose. She wasn't sure what to do, so she glanced over at Prue then turned back to her grandmother. There was anger in the woman's eyes as she glared at the priest. "Not now."

"Penny, she has to learn to accept…"

"She's not even five years old and her mother's just died," Grams said. Piper knew that Grams didn't want her to hear, but she listened to every word. "Give her some time."

"No!" Piper shook her head and threw the rose on the ground. She didn't want to leave it up on the box. She wanted to give it to her mommy herself, to hand it to her, and see her mommy smile at her. But that wasn't going to happen now. Piper burst into tears and even as her grandmother reached for her, she took off across the wet grass. Many more hands grabbed at her, but Piper got away from them all, sobbing as she ran.

"Piper!" She heard Prue calling for her. But she didn't turn around. Instead she ran behind one of the huge marble stones and collapsed onto the dirt. She pulled her jacket tighter again then tried to wipe her eyes with her sleeves as the thunder rumbled overhead. She shivered as she buried her face in her hands. She wasn't going to see her mommy again. She wasn't coming back.

"Piper, don't cry."

Piper glanced up and saw Prue standing there, the rain starting to soak through her jacket. Her hood had fallen back around her neck and the water was dripping down her dark hair. Piper waited for her to say something, but Prue stayed silent as she slowly glanced around. No one else was coming. It was just the two of them.

Finally Prue sat down and put her arm around Piper, leaning back against the large piece of stone. Piper slid over towards her sister, resting her head against Prue as she made patterns in the wet dirt with her fingers. Prue looked up at the sky, squinting as the raindrops fell on her face.

"Grams says Mommy is up there watching us. She'll be sad if we cry."

"I didn't mean to make her mad, Prue," she mumbled, her voice wavering as she scratched out her drawings.

"I told her sorry."

"It's not you," Prue said and Piper could see just how close to tears she really was. Prue pulled her a little bit closer as she shivered again. "She just had to go."

"But she loved us." Piper wiped her eyes again. "She said so, Mommy said so."

"Of course she did," Prue insisted. "She loved you and me and Phoebe too. But she died. She can't come back now. But she's gonna watch us from now on."

"I don't care," Piper said, staring down at the ground. This wasn't fair. She didn't believe Prue; her sister was just saying those things because Grams had made her. It was Piper's fault that her mother had left them.

"I want her back... Who's gonna be our Mommy now?"

"I will," Prue said slowly, her voice shaking a little. "I'll take care of you. I'll be your Mommy now and Phoebe's too. Grams'll probably help me."

"No," Piper said. That wasn't good enough. It would never be good enough. "No, I want Mommy."

"Me too." Prue nodded pushing her hair back behind her ears. Piper bit her lip trying so hard to be strong. But then finally she gave up and fell across Prue's lap, the tears coming once more. She lay there, unable to move, to even look up. It hurt so badly. She could feel Prue's hands on her head, trying to shield Piper from the rain now that her own hood had fallen away. "I miss Mommy too."

_A Night That Will Come Back To Haunt Them..._

Phoebe sighed as Piper headed up the stairs to her room. She didn't bother to speak to her older sister, she wouldn't have any idea what to say. Sliding out of her coat, Phoebe shook the water out of her hair, then followed Prue into the living room. She glanced over at the Christmas tree, suddenly disenchanted with the holiday she'd been waiting so eagerly for. Death and Santa just didn't mix.

"How was she?" Prue asked finally. Phoebe shrugged, unable to think of a good enough answer. She went over to inspect the ornaments on the tree, trying not to meet Prue's eyes.

"She'll be fine," Phoebe said. She was suddenly glad that Prue hadn't been with them on that long ride home.

"It's just going to take some time."

"I don't get it." Prue shook her head, then let her face fall into her hands. "I thought this was going to be some simple vanquishing, I didn't know..."

"None of us did."

"I shouldn't have stayed at Bucklands, I should have been there." Prue's words were spilling out faster and faster as she continued. Phoebe could hear the hurt in her voice. "I can't believe I let this happen."

"It was a vanquishing," Phoebe reminded her, fingering a shiny glass star. She dropped her voice as she turned back to her sister. "We did what we were supposed to. That was the plan, remember?"

"No, Phoebe." Prue finally lifted her head. "_We _didn't do anything. We weren't together, not when we needed to be."

"Piper's strong," Phoebe said slowly, trying to force herself to believe her own words. "She can handle it. It's not like she's never done a vanquishing."

"I know." Prue nodded, sitting back against the couch cushions. "I know..."

Silence fell over the house as Prue stared out the window. Phoebe watched her, then lifted her eyes towards the ceiling as she heard a creak from above. It was just Piper of course, moving around upstairs, wondering how she could have done what she did. Phoebe wanted to go up there, to say something to her, but... she still couldn't think of the words. It was so simple, Piper had done the right thing. She'd vanquished the evil, protected her family. But that didn't seem to be much consolation.

"I screwed up Pheebs..." she heard Prue say quietly, her voice barely audible above the steady beat of the rain.

Phoebe just turned back to the Christmas tree without saying a word…..


	2. Chapter 1

"All right, your turn," Piper laughed as she reached over to turn down the radio. Jingle Bell Rock was playing for the bazillionth time.But before she could touch the volume control Phoebe had slapped her fingers away. Piper pulled back immediately, putting her hands on the wheel again as the road curved ahead.  
"I like this song," Phoebe insisted even as Piper groaned in disgust.  
"And the fact that they've played it non-stop for the past two weeks doesn't bother you?" Piper glanced over at her younger sister who was fiddling with the heater. Phoebe moved one of the vents and Piper held up her arm as a blast of hot air hit her full in the face. Quickly, Piper leaned over and switched off the heat, determined not to let Phoebe take over her car. "I swear if I hear this song one more time, I'm going to send the Christmas tree flying out the window."  
"No, 'cause that would be Prue's job. She's the grinch and I think the telekinesis would make an evergreen fly that much higher." Phoebe grinned as she sat back in her seat. "And besides when did you become the Ebinezer of the family? It's a festive time, Piper. Why don't you trying joining me in this thing we call Christmas?"  
"Fine." Piper couldn't help but smile as Phoebe turned the radio up even louder. The rain that was pounding on the jeep could hardly be heard now over the chorus of the popular Christmas carol. "But it's still your turn."  
"All right, all right. Favorite Yule time memory..." Phoebe clasped her hands together and Piper could tell she was deep in thought. Phoebe lived for these types of games. She was great at remembering every funny, embarrassing, wonderful moment in the Halliwell household. "Oooh, I so have one. That time when you bought that lingerie for Prue, remember? And you accidentally gave it to Grams instead. The look on her face, that was way beyond priceless. And then-"  
"Whoa, hold on there." Piper stopped Phoebe before she could get any farther. She'd almost forgotten that one. But Phoebe's memory, while almost perfect, was highly selective. "First of all, that was you who gave her the present. And second you were way too young to even know where the lingerie store was."  
"What can I say?" Phoebe shrugged, giving her an innocent smile. "I was always ahead of everyone else."  
"Uh-huh."  
"Okay, back to you now," Phoebe said. Piper could hear her sleigh bell earrings as her sister turned her head in anticipation. "Second favorite Christmas memory."  
Piper pressed her lips together, letting her brain search back through the years. Finally she seized upon one memory and the smile on her face grew even larger.  
"That Christmas with Mom just after you were born," she said. It was weird how the image suddenly appeared in her mind, but the memory was there, perfectly preserved. "We got all bundled up and stood on the front porch so Prue could watch for reindeer." Piper felt a slight ache in her heart as she thought back. "I remember Mom smelled like the cinnamon from the cookies."  
"Okay, no fair." Phoebe shook her head, causing her earrings to jingle once more. She was still grinning, but Piper could hear the pain in her voice. Phoebe, however, wasn't one to let her sadness show, so instead she wagged a playful finger at Piper. "My brain was hardly even working then. I have no way to judge whether that's worthy of the Halliwell Christmas moments award."  
"Believe me, it was." Piper nodded staring out at the road. She had realized too late that she shouldn't have brought up their mother. It wasn't fair to her younger sister. Piper had so many memories that Phoebe would never have. She and Prue had agreed not to bring up their mom, not unless Phoebe asked. And she hadn't asked in awhile.  
They both fell silent for a few moments as Jingle Bell Rock played through. Piper tapped the brake lightly as the car ahead of her slowed. The rain was getting worse and she had to lean forward in order to see through the darkness. She reached over and turned down the radio. This time Phoebe didn't protest.  
"I think this is the street."  
"It looks like it." Phoebe pressed her nose against the glass to get a better look at the sign. "Turn left here."  
"Demon hunting during the holiday season," Piper mumbled. It felt as if all the energy had been sucked out of the car. An automatic switch had gone off somewhere within her. It was time to get serious. "It's sure not something they write Christmas songs about."  
"Well yeah, I mean Santa killing big, gnarly looking creatures probably wouldn't make for a good bedtime story," Phoebe said, checking over the map she had laid in her lap. "'The Demon Hunt Before Christmas' just doesn't have the same ring to it."  
"I guess there's a reason why witches claim Halloween as their national holiday," Piper said. "Christmas just isn't for us."  
"Hey now." Piper could feel her sister's disapproving stare as they drove down the street. "Let's not bag on the best time of the year just because we had to suspend our shopping time for a little witchcraft."  
"Well I'm thinking Nordstrom's would have been my preferred destination this evening. They were having a half-off sale," Piper said. "I'm still minus a gift for Prue and you know she gets cranky if we don't get her something... how did she put it?"  
"Thoughtful?"  
"Perfect," Piper corrected her, feigning her older sister's serious tone. "Something that reflects the true essence of Prudence Halliwell."  
"First of all, that's not what she said."  
"But that is what she meant."  
"All right I'll give you that one," Phoebe said. Piper had figured she would. They were all aware that Prue was picky about her gifts. Phoebe knew that best of all from her days of giving three-day late birthday cards.  
"See, I'm just doubling my danger duty now, facing demons and a bitter, giftless sister."  
"Piper, hello?" Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Innocents to protect, evil to get rid of... A little more important than Christmas consumerism."  
"Oh look who's talking, little Miss Yule Time." Piper took her eyes off the road just long enough to give her sister the once over. Phoebe looked more like one of Santa's elves than a protector of the innocent. Her hair was done up in little red and green barrettes and she'd somehow managed to sneak mistletoe up onto Piper's rearview mirror. Piper had considered taking it down, but she'd promised to drive their neighbor, Dan, to work the next day, so Phoebe had insisted on leaving it up. "Tell me your mind isn't more focused on what will be sitting under the tree than on vanquishing spells."  
"Hey, I have balance in my life." Phoebe lifted her chin with an air of superiority. "I am the every witch, able to mix my supernatural world and my regular one."  
"Well good for you." Piper nodded. "But in the meantime, you want to remind me why we're out here at midnight three days before Christmas?"  
"I got a visit from the premonition fairy."  
"All right, let's re-run the explanation here." She knew Phoebe had been over this already when she'd visited Piper's club earlier in the day. But the truth was Piper had been too busy scheduling for the holiday season to listen that carefully. "A short summary will do."  
"The instant replay?"  
"Exactly."  
"Okay, from the top," Phoebe said. Piper could hear the impatience in her voice, but never the less Phoebe explained again. She had always been the most eager to discuss their work, or impending doom as Piper liked to call it. So she never passed up a chance to clue her sisters in.  
"I was watching the news and they came up with the story on that little church over in Marin," she said quickly. "And they were talking about the Christmas pageant or whatever that they were putting on."  
"And?"  
"And boom-killer premonition." Phoebe seemed a little exasperated with her sister's questioning. "There was this woman and she was attacking some priest. She was kind of tossing him through the air, except she never touched him."  
"So she was a witch?"  
"Yes Piper. She was a witch."  
Piper could almost hear the unspoken "duh" hanging at the end of that sentence.  
"A very bad witch. And she did the, you know-" Phoebe squinted then waved her arms in the air, "-the hand thing, like Prue does."  
"Telekinesis?"  
"Yes! I so knew that word two minutes ago." Phoebe wrinkled her nose, a little disappointed with herself. But then she smiled and patted Piper on the shoulder. "You're catching on though."  
"This is what we're going on?" Piper was suddenly feeling a little bit nervous. "A bad witch who has the power to move things?"  
Phoebe was always a little eager and sometimes she lacked the preparation research that Piper was so fond of. A little knowledge went a long way in their line of work. And sometimes Phoebe forgot that. She was big on the Book of Shadows and all of its info, but sometimes she was a little overconfident.  
"Pheebs, premonitions are nice and all, but previous contact and knowledge-usually helpful."  
"Well Pheeb TV was enough for Prue." Phoebe said with a shrug. There was a slight defensiveness in her tone, but Piper was used to it by now. They all knew that Piper's role was that of the slightly paranoid sister. Phoebe was great at getting things done and Piper was great at making sure they didn't get killed in the meantime.  
"All right," Piper bit her lip and tried to calm her nerves by concentrating on the familiar rumble of the engine. She liked that sound a whole lot more when they were driving away from danger, as opposed to straight at it. But at this point she didn't seem to have much of a choice. "Okay, so what's the plan for getting rid of the evil witch?"  
"Well Prue has the spell."  
"Prue has the spell?" Piper's voice rose a notch as she gripped the steering wheel tighter. She tried to keep her eyes on the rain soaked windshield, resisting the urge to stare at her sister. "But Prue's not here. I thought you had the spell. Why don't you have the spell?"  
"Because Prue's bringing it from work." Phoebe was suddenly very preoccupied with her nails. "I was sort of showing it to her at Bucklands and then I kind of-"  
"Forgot it? You forgot the spell?" Piper couldn't believe it. All they had in their favor now was Piper's power to freeze. Phoebe's premonitions had gotten them there, but now it would be left to the sister with the active power. Piper sighed. They were going up against an apparently mean and powerful witch with one active power between them and no spell. "What the hell are we supposed to do?"  
"Well Prue has to be there anyway," Phoebe said. "That's why she's meeting us."  
"Oh god," Piper could feel the panic rising within her. Yes, she was the paranoid sister, but she was beginning to believe that paranoia had given her the upper hand sanity wise.  
"Piper, stop worrying," Phoebe said. "Maybe we should go back to the Christmas game."  
"Forget the Christmas game. We're going to die. I knew I shouldn't have let you talk me into this." Piper nodded to herself. "I was perfectly happy on the couch watching 'It's A Wonderful Life.'"  
"Relax." Phoebe smiled and turned up the radio again. Jingle Bell Rock had somehow found itself back on the airwaves. Piper gritted her teeth as her sister tapped out the beat on the dashboard. "Prue will be there. We'll go, we'll see, we'll vanquish."  
"Uh-huh." Piper kept her eyes on the road. She was scared to look over at Phoebe, because if she did she knew she'd see her sister's total lack of worry. In the last few months things had been going well in the fighting evil department, a little too well, and Piper was beginning to wonder if they were all getting cocky.  
It'll be okay though, she reminded herself. Phoebe was right. Prue would be there, ready with the spell. Prue was the big sister, the most powerful of all of them. She always took care of everything. Of course she would be there...


	3. Chapter 2

"She's not here." Piper pushed open the door, then stepped out into the rain, pulling a large parka on over her sweater. She threw up her hood, then turned around in a large circle, examining the deserted parking lot. Her jeep was the only vehicle in sight. "Prue's not here."  
"Of course she's here." Piper heard Phoebe's door slam as she jumped out on the other side of the jeep. She came running over to Piper, holding up her hands to shield herself from the rain. Count on Phoebe to come without a coat, Piper thought.  
"We are standing out in the pouring rain, alone," Piper turned to glare at her sister, as Phoebe dropped her arms to her sides. "Do you see anyone else here?"  
"Well, maybe the traffic was bad." She shrugged, seeming perfectly content to get soaked.  
"Or maybe she's not coming," Piper muttered. She crossed her arms, trying not to think about the fact that Phoebe was probably going to catch pneumonia thanks to their little excursion. Glancing around, Piper spotted the church they'd been looking for. The huge steeple loomed above them, nearly lost in the clouds. There were a few lights coming from the building that gave the area a yellowish glow. But at that point the effect was more eerie than helpful. The theater stood next to it, shrouded in darkness.  
"Prue will be here." Phoebe leaned back against the car. She seemed completely unfazed by their sister's absence. She stared up at the sky, almost daring it to pour even harder. Then she stuck her tongue out and caught a few raindrops in her mouth.  
"This is great." Piper rubbed her forehead, grimacing as the rain continued to pelt them. Already she could feel a headache coming on and the evening had barely begun. They hadn't even gotten to the good stuff as Phoebe liked to call it. "What are we supposed to do now?"  
"We wait and see if our sister's really as responsible as she thinks she is," Phoebe said with a smile. Piper felt a sudden urge to grab her by the shoulders and shake a small dose of healthy fear into the girl. But instead she rubbed her hands together, trying to keep warm.  
"Okay, well there was nothing in the book about freezing to death." Piper pulled her jacket tighter around her. "I think I'll wait in the car."  
"Piper, hold on-" The sound of chimes from the clock tower interrupted her. Phoebe whirled around, looking suddenly scared. _Oh, now she starts to worry_ Piper thought, _now when we're already here, in the dark, alone. This is so very Phoebe. _  
"That's what I heard in my vision," she said. "We have to go help!"  
Latching on to Piper's arm, she took a few steps towards the small building next to the church. Well, so much for her fear, Piper thought as she wriggled out of her sister's grasp. She wasn't going anywhere without a spell. It was crazy, it was stupid, and it could get them both killed.  
Then for a split second Piper thought she saw a flash of light coming from the theater. Someone was definitely there, in the building Phoebe so eagerly wanted to enter. Piper grabbed her sister and pulled her back behind the jeep.  
"Are you crazy?" Piper winced as her words echoed through the parking lot. She lowered her voice to a whisper as she peaked over the roof of the car. The theater was dark once again, but Piper wasn't going to take any chances. "What are we going to do once we're in there?"  
"Well we can at least fend her off until Prue gets here," Phoebe said impatiently. "I mean you can freeze her, and then I'll-"  
"You'll what?" Piper gave her an incredulous look. "Hurt her with a premonition? Unless your powers have grown, I don't think that's a real useful plan there, Pheebs."  
Phoebe made a face at her, but Piper ignored it. There was no way they were going into that building, not without back-up. Even standing out in the freezing cold was a better plan than that. And so they would wait. Prue would have to show up sooner or later.  
Piper closed her eyes for a second and leaned back against the jeep. She tried to picture herself on a beach in Hawaii, or at least indoors. But she couldn't stop shivering. And then she heard the sound of thunder.  
"Great." Piper's eyes snapped open as the rain fell even harder. Staring up into the sky, she began to wonder if the night could possibly get any worse. "Of course it can," she said to herself. "It always does."  
Piper sighed as she walked around to the back of her car and opened the trunk. Somewhere in there she had stashed a couple of umbrellas. After a few seconds of rustling around, she found them. Grabbing one, she turned to hand it to Phoebe. It was then that she caught sight of her sister halfway across the parking lot. Piper's jaw dropped as she tossed the umbrella back into the jeep and closed the trunk.  
"Oh, okay, fine. Does anyone listen to the sane sister?" Piper muttered. With a sigh, she took off towards the theater, slipping and sliding across the wet pavement. She knew Phoebe was the most daring of all of them, but she was also the least powerful. Sure she could kickbox someone straight into a wall but that probably wasn't going to do her much good against an evil, telekinetic member of the Wiccan population.  
"Phoebe!" Piper tried to keep her voice down. Somewhere nearby was a dangerous witch, a witch that Phoebe seemed to be running straight towards. "Don't go-"  
But it was too late. Phoebe had already reached the back door of the theater building. She glanced at Piper as if to make sure she was following, then slipped inside. Piper gritted her teeth and ran faster until she had reached the same door. She threw it open, and rushed inside, nearly plowing into her sister. Piper bent over, trying to catch her breath.  
"What are you doing?" she demanded breathlessly. "Are you-"  
Phoebe covered her mouth before she could finish. As they waited there silently they could hear voices coming from somewhere else in the building. Piper glanced around. They were in a tiny room, more like a closet, with a few steps at one end. As Piper crept behind Phoebe she realized that the tiny staircase led up to the backstage area. Some twenty feet beyond the top of the stairs was the curtain that separated them from the main stage, the setting for Phoebe's premonition. Well, Piper thought, at least we're in the right place.  
Even as Piper attempted to stop her, Phoebe moved cautiously up the steps. The voices were getting louder and angrier. Piper couldn't quite hear what was being said, but obviously there was a fight going on near the left end of the stage. Luckily for them, they were on the right.  
"Tell me you have a plan," Piper whispered as Phoebe finally stopped behind the curtain. "Prue's never going to find us in here."  
"Well we've got to stop the witch somehow," Phoebe said. Piper could hear the determination in her voice. "If we can just help the priest get away-"  
"How exactly are we supposed to do that?"  
"I haven't figured that part out yet," Phoebe said quietly. Then she cocked her head to one side as she regarded her sister. "You know we really ought to work on our prep phase."  
"You think?" Piper's eyebrows narrowed and she resisted hauling out her tried and true I-told-you-so look. Phoebe wrinkled her nose and started moving again. Piper reluctantly followed her, grabbing onto the back of her sister's shirt to keep from losing her in the darkness.  
As the voices grew even louder, they carefully navigated around tables piled high with props and Christmas decorations. Then they turned and made their way along the side wall of the theater. Piper held her breath as they peaked through the long wings and onto the stage. A few lights had been turned on, but the entire area was poorly lit. Still she could see the voices' owners standing in the opposite wings. They had to be fifty or sixty feet away, but not nearly as far as Piper would have liked them to be.  
Piper crouched down next to her sister and let her eyes wander around the stage. Phoebe had been right. The place was definitely set up for a Christmas pageant. The half of the stage nearest to them had a miniature barn towards the back. It was long and the wall closest to where the audience would be was open so that they could see inside. A large cradle sat just in front of it, surrounded by little wooden animals and trees made of plywood. As Piper lifted herself a little bit higher she could even make out a carved baby figure. Piper couldn't believe it. None of the sisters were regular church-goers, but still the scene was rather ironic. This would be their first manger vanquishing and it even came complete with a wooden baby Jesus.  
"That's definitely her," Phoebe whispered, pointing towards the woman on the other side of the stage. Piper glanced over at the witch. She was young, not much older than Prue, and she hardly looked menacing. But if they had learned anything in the past two years it was that looks could be deceiving.  
Still, it was the priest who gave Piper the creeps. He just stood there, not saying anything as the woman gestured wildly at him. Piper wished she could understand what the woman was saying. But the sudden thunderstorm combined with the distance made it hard to understand. And even though the woman appeared to be angry, she certainly wasn't shouting. In fact she seemed almost to be whispering. Probably doesn't want anybody to hear her, Piper thought. If she really was about to kill the priest she wasn't going to want any witnesses.  
Suddenly Piper realized that she was crouching there alone. She whirled around, trying not to lose her precarious balance. Phoebe was gone. If she made it through this alive, Piper was going to sit her little sister down and give her a stern lecture about the importance of sticking together. The disappearing act was driving her crazy.  
Piper straightened and glanced around frantically, searching for her lost sister. Her mind was already striving for a backup plan if she should get stuck there alone. But finally, as she turned back towards the stage, she spotted Phoebe. Piper's eyes widened. Her sister was crawling across the stage, slowly weaving her way through the maze of wooden animals. After a moment she halted behind the barn. She turned and motioned for Piper to follow. Piper shook her head abruptly. Phoebe had stepped right on past that thin line between sanity and madness. _No,_ Piper thought _she hadn't just stepped past it, she'd sailed straight across it.__  
_

Piper had that look on her face. Phoebe watched and waited as her sister crawled at an excruciatingly slow pace, making her way towards the barn. Luckily for them, the back corner of the stage was the darkest, making them almost undetectable. But during the last few feet of her journey, Piper went right under the light and Phoebe could see her sister's expression again. Yep, she thought, I'm going to be hearing about this for the rest of my life. Piper was freaked, and worse yet, she looked mad.  
A few more seconds passed and she was safely behind the barn with Phoebe. Piper glared at her sister, then smacked her lightly on the arm. Phoebe shot her a look then stood slowly, trying to get a better view over the roof of the barn. But Piper immediately pulled her back down.  
"Be careful," she said under her breath. "We don't have any way to vanquish her."  
"Well, freeze them already."  
Piper seemed taken aback. She obviously hadn't considered that. Phoebe waited as her sister took a deep breath. Then Piper signaled for her to move aside. With Phoebe out of her way, she crawled to the edge of the barn closest to the witch. And then with one quick motion she leaned out around the building and threw out her hands. Phoebe straightened again, peering over the barn, even as Piper dove back behind it. The movement caused one of the wooden sheep to fall over and Phoebe ducked as the witch spun around.  
"They didn't freeze!" Phoebe whispered, flattening herself against the back of the building.  
The stage was quiet as the voices suddenly stopped. Piper cast a sideways glance at her sister then scrunched her eyes shut. The sound of footsteps could be heard in the otherwise silent theater and Phoebe held her breath, knowing that the witch was heading towards them. But after a few seconds the footsteps seemed to move back in the other direction. And then the muffled voices started up again.  
Phoebe looked over at Piper as her sister slowly opened her eyes. She knew that they were thinking the same thing. Without Piper's power they were pretty much helpless.  
"Okay Phoebe, you planned the party," Piper's voice was barely audible. "So now you tell me what to do."  
Phoebe cautiously moved around the barn then reached out and stuck her hand in the large wooden cradle, pulling out the figure inside. She held it in both hands and tested its weight. Then she crawled back behind the barn and handed it to Piper, but not before grabbing a wooden sheep for herself.  
"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" Piper held up the figure.  
"You might want to watch your language around him." Phoebe whispered, pointing towards the baby. Piper just glared at her.  
"Oh, but its okay to beat someone over the head with him?"  
"Under the circumstances I don't think he'd mind."  
Piper didn't seem convinced but Phoebe saw her grip tighten on the wooden figure as the thunder crashed again. Phoebe could tell she was frightened, which was nothing new for Piper. But even Phoebe was scared now. She straightened a little, enabling herself to look over the barn's roof once more. She had to see what they were up against. Even without any powers, there had to be some way to protect that priest.  
From her vantage point, Phoebe had a clear view of the witch and her prey. They were still talking, and the conversation's volume had increased once again. The witch's gestures were getting more and wilder and Phoebe could just make out the angered expression on her face. And then she saw something that made her blood chill. The woman reached into her waistband and pulled out a dagger.  
"Oh no." Phoebe watched as the priest backed away. The dagger hadn't been in her vision. Phoebe realized with horror that she must have missed it somehow.  
Suddenly the woman raised her arm and the man went flying across the room. He landed in the center of the stage a little more than ten feet from their hiding place. The woman approached him slowly, the stage lights reflecting off of the dagger. Phoebe reached down, her fingers wrapping around Piper's arm. She pulled her sister to her feet, hearing the wooden figure drop back to the ground. Phoebe motioned towards the woman.  
"Freeze her!"  
"I tired, I can't-"  
"Try again!" Phoebe whispered desperately. Piper waved her hands in the air, but again nothing happened. "Piper, do something!"  
But it was too late. The woman took one final step across the stage and stood over the man, even as he scrambled to get up. Phoebe and Piper watched in horror as she plunged the knife deep into his stomach. Phoebe turned quickly, trying not to look. She saw all the blood drain from Piper's face, as her sister's eyes stayed glued to the priest.


	4. Chapter 3

"Oh god..." Piper felt sick to her stomach. She just stood there, watching as the woman stabbed him again. The priest struggled once more to get to his knees, then finally crumpled to the ground. He didn't move again. He just laid there, the blood starting to show through his clothes.  
"Piper..." She could hear Phoebe whispering. But her sister's voice sounded far away. Piper suddenly felt disconnected from the world, as if she were drifting away from reality. Maybe this was a dream, just some terrible nightmare. But then she felt Phoebe tugging on her arm, pulling her down into a crouching position back behind the barn. Piper tried to breathe, but she couldn't get any air into her lungs. She felt like she was suffocating. "Piper." Phoebe shook her a little. "Are you okay?"  
"I couldn't freeze her," Piper said after a moment. She looked down at her hands, unable to understand how her power could fail her. "I tried, but I couldn't."  
"I know." Phoebe said. She was obviously terrified but she was trying not to show it.  
Piper swallowed as her mouth went dry, then she glanced around the theater once more. But it was as if the entire world had become hazy. And she couldn't get the image of the priest out of her mind. He was so close, just lying there on the other side of the barn. But there was nothing they could do for him. They had failed and now they would have to leave him behind.  
Piper glanced over at Phoebe, then started to inch her way back towards the wings. She had to leave. She had to get out of there.  
"Piper," Phoebe reached for her arm and pulled her back abruptly. "She'll see us! We have to stay here."  
"No." Piper's eyes widened as she regarded her sister. Phoebe didn't seem to understand the situation. They were in way over their heads and it was time to get out. "I can't stay here." She shook her head quickly. "We can't stay here!"  
"Just until she leaves," Phoebe said.  
"No, no way." Piper slipped out of Phoebe's grasp and moved over to the corner of the barn, leaning her head out around it. But it wasn't the stage that she saw, it was a bright red shirt a few inches from her nose.  
Piper screamed and leapt back, but already the witch had latched onto her. Piper was lifted off of the ground as the woman dragged her up into the air. But she barely needed to touch Piper. Instead she let her power hold her there, as Piper floated helplessly a few inches from the floor. She's definitely a witch, Piper thought, and she's a whole lot stronger than Prue.  
Piper tried to stay calm even as she noticed the dagger in the woman's other hand. And now Piper could see the blood on it, the blood of the poor priest lying there on the stage.  
"You came to help him..." She brought the knife up to Piper's neck and the girl winced as the blade touched her skin. "Now you will die for that."  
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Prue felt her car bounce a little as the wheels hit the curb in front of the church. She backed up a few inches, then put the car into park, breathing a sigh of relief. She had finally made it.  
But as she sat there a shiver ran up her spine. All she could hear was the rain and the slow rhythmic sound of her windshield wipers. The street was deserted at that time of night. She hadn't seen another car in miles, which meant that they were alone. The evil witch Phoebe had seen could do whatever she wanted and nobody would be there to stop her, nobody except Prue and her sisters.  
It had been a bad idea from the start, she knew. Prue couldn't believe she had ever agreed to it. Splitting up was never smart. It was always better to stick together, to get there together and leave together. They were much more powerful as a group than they were individually. Still, Phoebe had never had a premonition that wasn't important. And so there was no way that they could ignore what she'd seen.  
At the same time though, Prue had never had an auction that was as important as the one that Bucklands was having. And so they had compromised. By deciding to meet at the church she had been able to spend more time at her job. She had even managed to avoid the "leaving early" lecture her boss was so fond of giving. But as Prue shut off the ignition, she realized that they had made the wrong decision. They needed to be together on this one.  
Prue pulled out Phoebe's directions, peering at the crumpled piece of paper under the streetlights. She had already checked it three times, but now she checked it a fourth. She was definitely at the right place. So far so good.  
Prue carefully slipped the sheet back into her purse then checked to make sure that the spell was still there. It was, and Prue's heart beat slowed a little. Everything's fine, she assured herself. You're just catching Piper paranoia.  
Stepping out of the car, Prue made a quick dash through the rain. Thankfully she'd passed up the parking lot in exchange for her spot on the street. That put her a lot closer to the theater. As soon as she was under the front overhang, Prue glanced around. The front door was over to her left, and as she stepped towards it, she saw the light underneath. Someone or something was already inside.  
Prue knew she was late which meant that her sisters had probably been in there awhile. And they would need her, more importantly they would need the spell. Prue cautiously reached for the door knob, pulling the door open just far enough to peer inside. Even in the dim lighting she could just make out the aisle that ran from the door straight to the front of the stage. Row upon row of empty seats sat on either side of the aisle and everything was deathly quiet. She couldn't see either of her sisters. In fact, she couldn't see anyone at all. The entire place looked empty.  
Please tell me I got the right place, Prue thought as she stepped inside. She slowly crept down the aisle, keeping an eye out for any sign of movement. She didn't want to be surprised. She was alone after all. She'd been so worried about her sisters that'd she almost forgotten that fact. At least Piper and Phoebe had each other.  
As Prue came closer to the stage she saw a huge pile of debris in one corner. It seemed as if someone had built a manger scene there, only now it looked more like a war zone. The barn was in pieces and the wooden animal were scattered all over the place. There was a broken cradle over near the center of the stage and- Prue's eyes widened. She hadn't even noticed the crumpled forms lying amongst everything else.  
"Oh god!" She felt her heart start to race as she ran the rest of the way down the aisle. She leapt onto the stage and knelt down next to the first figure. It was the priest Phoebe had described in her vision. His eyes were closed and his face had turned an ashen color. It took a minute for Prue to spot the pool of blood over on one side of his body. She stood slowly as she saw it, then turned her head in the other direction. Prue suddenly felt nauseous as she stumbled away from the man. She knew she should try to help him. But first she had to find her sisters. She had to know if they were okay.  
"Piper!" She whirled around frantically, trying not to trip over the wooden lamb at her feet. "Phoebe?"  
Prue quickly made her way across the stage and saw another form lying there on the ground. It was a woman she didn't recognize. Once Prue realized it wasn't either of her sisters she avoided looking any closer. Out of the corner of her eye she could already see blood on the woman's clothes. Cautiously Prue stepped around her then moved back behind the manger scene.  
"Piper?" Prue's voice was starting to shake. Those two people she had come upon were dead, she was almost sure of it. And if her sisters had been there it was more than likely that they had suffered the same fate. Prue couldn't bare the thought. She had chosen some stupid auction over helping Piper and Phoebe. Her job wasn't worth anything when weighed against the two people she loved most in the world. If anything happened to them Prue knew that she would die herself. She couldn't live knowing that she hadn't been there to protect them.  
"Phoebe!" Prue kicked aside the broken animals and took a deep breath, trying to push those horrible thoughts from her mind. But she was already on the verge of tears. She was terrified to look down now, worried that she might see one of her sisters lying there. And then as she came along the other side of the manger she saw a third crumpled form. Prue recognized her immediately and she felt the tears starting to fall down her face.  
"Phoebe!" Prue kneeled beside her youngest sister. She checked her over in the dim light, but didn't see any blood. "Phoebe?"  
Phoebe groaned and opened her eyes. She blinked a few times, looking dazed, but otherwise unhurt. Prue felt herself start to smile as a wave of relief washed over her.  
"Prue?" Phoebe squinted up at her.  
"Yeah, it's me," Prue said gently. "What happened?"  
"We found the witch," Phoebe mumbled as Prue helped her sit up. As she glanced around she seemed to notice the woman laying a few feet away. Phoebe's eyes widened in surprise. "I guess we killed the witch."  
"Where's Piper?" Prue asked. "I checked the stage already."  
"I don't know." Phoebe stood as Prue helped her up. From her previous position she hadn't been able to see the extent of the damage on the stage, but now as Phoebe looked around, Prue could see a little worry creep into her expression. Phoebe's confusion was quickly turning into fear.  
"Phoebe, try and remember," Prue pressed on. "We have to find Piper."  
"The witch grabbed her I know that, but then-" Phoebe's voice rose as she looked around. "I don't remember. But she was with me, Prue, I swear."  
"It's okay," Prue said quietly, trying to ease Phoebe's panic. "I'm sure she's fine."  
But even as Prue said that she wasn't completely convinced. She knew Piper would never leave Phoebe, not unless something had happened, and that something couldn't have been good.  
"I'm going to go look for her." She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and handed it to Phoebe. "You call Darryl."  
"Okay." Phoebe nodded and carefully stepped back towards the curtain, trying to get as far away from the bodies as possible. Prue glanced back at her as she made her way towards the wings. But Phoebe seemed to be fine. Now that she had something to do she looked calmer. The shock of the situation seemed to be wearing off.  
Prue moved back behind the curtain, her hand trailing along the soft velvet. The backstage area was completely empty. Piper wasn't there. Prue had been so relieved to find Phoebe, but now as she searched for her remaining sister her worry had made its return.  
Outside she could hear the thunder rumble and Prue shivered. She wandered along the back wall of the theater, opening the long row of doors across from the curtain. She peered into a number of dressing rooms and one filled with props. But she didn't see her sister anywhere.  
Finally she spotted the stairs that led to the back room. She went down them two at a time, then made her way to the door. She threw it open and a sheet of rain hit her full in the face. In a matter of seconds Prue was soaked. The storm was out in full force and her clothes clung to her body as she glanced around.  
"Piper!" Her voice mixed with another clap of thunder. Everything was shrouded in darkness. The moon had long since disappeared behind the clouds and all she could see was the parking lot that sat empty except for Piper's jeep. Prue wiped the rain from her face and turned back towards the building. Just then the lightning flashed and she saw someone huddled there against the back wall. It was her sister. She was sitting there, knees pulled to her chest, her face buried in the sleeves of her jacket.  
"Piper!" Prue ran over and knelt down beside her rain soaked sister.  
"Prue?"  
"Piper, honey what's wrong?" Her sister's hair was plastered to her head and Prue quickly pushed it out of her eyes. She couldn't tell whether Piper had been crying, or whether her face was just wet from the rain. "What happened?"  
"I killed her." Piper's voice was barely above a whisper. Her entire body shook as she looked up at her sister.  
"Who?" Prue stared at her for a moment. "What are you talking about?"  
"The witch," Piper wiped her eyes quickly, but it was pointless thanks to the rain. "I killed her."  
It was then that Prue saw the dagger a few inches from where they were sitting. The blood had washed off in the rain and spread into the surrounding puddle, giving it a pinkish tint. She blinked, trying hard to picture her sister wielding a dagger, even against an evil witch. Piper rubbed her hands against her pants, and Prue saw the blood on them.  
"I can't get it off." Piper dropped her head back into her knees. "I killed her."  
"But you had to, Piper."  
Prue turned her head up and saw Phoebe standing above them. She was shivering and Prue realized that she wasn't even wearing a coat. Never the less, Phoebe sat down in the puddle next to Piper and put her arm around her. But Piper didn't bother to look up. Prue watched Phoebe's efforts to comfort their sister and then their eyes met.  
"What happened?" she mouthed silently nodding towards Piper. Phoebe didn't answer. She just stroked Piper's hair, hugging her gently. It was obvious that Prue had missed something important. She hadn't been there for her sisters and this was the price they were all going to pay. Prue bit her lip watching Phoebe and Piper.  
"Piper, we vanquish bad guys all the time," Phoebe said softly. "She was evil; it's what we had to do."  
"This is different," Piper mumbled, finally glancing up at her.  
"No, it's not. She was going to kill me."  
"We don't know that."  
"We do know that," Phoebe insisted. "She attacked you, she attacked me, and she attacked that priest in there. We came here to vanquish her."  
"No we came here to protect that priest," Piper said. "She wasn't a demon."  
"But she was a murderer," Phoebe added.  
"That doesn't make it okay for me to kill her."  
"It might not make it okay," Prue said as Piper turned towards her. "But it certainly makes it justified."  
"Where were you?" Piper asked suddenly. Prue expected to see anger in her eyes, but instead all she saw was sadness. "You were supposed to be here."  
"I know." Prue looked down at the ground feeling horrible. She almost wished Piper would get angry with her for letting this happen. She wanted her sister to yell at her, to blame her. But Piper would never do that. Prue knew she would take all the guilt for herself. "I should have been here Piper," Prue said. "It's my fault."  
"It's nobody's fault," Phoebe said quickly. "We can't feel bad about protecting ourselves. This was a bad witch who was hurting people and we came here to vanquish her. It doesn't matter how we did it."  
"And at least the evil's gone."  
Prue saw Piper nod a little. But she knew her sister wasn't convinced.  
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Piper leaned against the window, watching as the rain rolled down the glass in tiny droplets. Back at the theater she had agreed to let Phoebe drive them home. Her sisters' surprise had been obvious. Piper had been a little more possessive of her keys since Phoebe had backed Prue's car into a pole. But for once Piper didn't care about her little sister's driving skills. Things like that just didn't matter.  
Everything was weird now, she knew. Her sister's couldn't understand her sudden demeanor. They had all been forced to kill demons and witches before. This wasn't anything different, and Piper knew her behavior had confused them, if not worried them. But there were things they didn't know, things she couldn't bring herself to tell them. There just wasn't any point.  
Piper closed her eyes for a moment. She was completely exhausted. But she was beginning to wonder if she would ever be able to sleep again. Every time she shut her eyes she saw those people in the theater. The ambulance had come and taken the priest away. But it was already too late for the other woman. Of course Piper had known that all along. It still didn't make it any easier though. Piper opened her eyes again just as Jingle Bell Rock came back on the radio.  
"You want me to turn it off?" Phoebe asked.  
"No, it's okay," Piper sighed. She'd almost forgotten Christmas. It was only a few days away. Piper bit her lip and slowly reached into her over-sized pocket, careful not to let Phoebe see what she was doing. The little book was still in there. It was soaked, and she could feel the pages curling up. But at least it hadn't fallen out.  
Piper swallowed hard as she thought about the picture inside. She knew she couldn't tell her sisters about it. They already blamed themselves for that woman's death, for what Piper had done. She didn't need to make it any worse. No, it had to be her secret. Prue and Phoebe could never know.  
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It was nearly dusk, but it was hard to tell with all the dark clouds that had formed in the sky. So far the rain hadn't come that day, but Piper was pretty sure it would make an appearance some time that evening. She pulled her scarf tighter and zipped up her jacket as she stepped out of her jeep. She hesitated a moment before she finally turned around and faced the theater. It looked different somehow in the last rays of daylight. It was almost as if nothing had happened there. But the long yellow lines of the police tape reminded Piper of the truth. It hadn't been some horrible nightmare. It had all really happened. The priest was probably still in the hospital and the witch was dead, all because of Piper.  
She shoved her hands in her pockets, touching the little book with her fingertips. She'd come back for a reason. She'd come to make amends, or at least try to. Slowly she took two steps towards the church, then two more. With each step her feet moved a little easier, but her heart beat a little bit faster. She could see the witch, almost as if the woman were walking right beside her, watching her every move. Piper swallowed hard, willing herself to keep going. If she didn't do it now, then she knew she never would.  
Finally she was only ten or so feet from the theater. But that wasn't her final destination. Instead she moved past it and walked across the long path over to the church. She tugged at her gloves, trying not to shiver in the blustery wind. The storm would be there soon.  
Another minute passed and she finally reached the set of wooden doors. Piper suddenly remembered when she had discovered that she was a witch. She'd been terrified to enter a church for fear that she'd be struck down because she was evil. Now as she grabbed for the door handle, she held her breath, her fears momentarily renewed. There was a crash of thunder but the door opened easily as she pulled on it. She slowly let herself inside.  
The moment she stepped onto the carpet, Piper's heart fell to her feet. Up at the front the children's choir was practicing for the Christmas ceremony. Their carols echoed through the building as Piper slowly made her way down the aisle. Taking a seat in a pew near the back, she pulled the little book out of her pocket. It was a tiny version of The Christmas Carol. She bit her lip then opened the cover, peering at the picture that was still tucked inside.  
There was Faith Evans, the witch she had killed. She was young and smiling and cradling a small child in her arms. A long crease had been made down the center of the picture, and Piper ran her fingers over it methodically, trying to smooth it. But as she did, she couldn't take her eyes off of the little boy, the child who had lost his mother three days before Christmas. Piper could feel the tears stinging her eyes and she quickly wiped her face with her sleeve. Slowly she closed the book, leaving the picture inside, hoping that somehow that one act would erase what had happened. But it didn't.  
Piper pushed the book away from her, sliding it across the pew. The tears were still coming and she closed her eyes, trying to breathe. She could hear the kids up in the front, still singing their carols. And now they had started singing her favorite one, the carol her mother had taught her.  
Piper's heartbeat quickened as she listened to it. She actually hadn't thought about her mom's death in awhile, not since that day up at the lake when they had vanquished the demon that killed her. Piper sucked in her breath, remembering how hard that had been, how much she had hated that stupid demon and how much she had wanted to kill it. At least she had gotten her wish. The demon was gone. But that wasn't going to bring her mom back.  
Piper opened her eyes, then reached over and grabbed the book again. She opened it and stared at the picture once more, running her fingers over its glossy surface. Then she let the cover fall closed and reached down, pushing the book under her seat. After a moment she straightened, trying to decide what to do next. More than anything else she wanted to go home. But Prue and Phoebe would ask where she'd been. And she wasn't ready with a good story just yet. So instead Piper lay down on the pew for a few more minutes and listened to the rest of her Christmas carol.


	5. Chapter 4

It was June. Prue exhaled in exasperation, trying to get her windshield wipers to turn on. After a moment they slowly scraped across the glass, then picked up speed until they had finally pushed all the water out of her view. It was June and it was raining. Like I don't have enough problems, she thought. Someday, somehow, I'm going to get through a week without some crazy emergency. But this certainly wasn't going to be that week.  
"Oh come on," Prue muttered under her breath. She pressed her foot down on the gas pedal, but already she could see the red light a block ahead of her. With a sigh she slowed to a halt, resting her elbow against the car door. She focused her eyes on the windshield wipers, watching them go back and forth, anything to keep away the panic that was quickly settling over her.  
Her foot hit the accelerator as soon as the light turned green. The car lurched forward and her wheels gave a squeal of protest, but she didn't really care. Prue bit her lip, then reached over to grab her cell phone, trying to keep her eyes on the road. She pushed a button and listened to her voice mail again. The message from Phoebe had been brief. She'd mentioned some sort of emergency. But that was all Prue could get from the jumble of words. Phoebe hadn't said much else. And that scared her more than anything.  
Prue wished she could write off Phoebe's message as unimportant. Years ago she wouldn't have worried. She would have assumed it to mean that Phoebe needed money or a ride somewhere. But ever since they had discovered that they were witches things had changed. The Book of Shadows, full of its magical spells and potion recipes, had turned out to be a lot more than a conversation piece. It had given them their powers back.  
Prue rubbed her forehead as a wave of frustration washed over her. All of the sisters had been born with powers, but those same powers had been taken away when they were still children. Nearly twenty years had passed before Phoebe found them once more, and sometimes Prue wondered what might have happened if they'd been granted them sooner. Maybe she wouldn't be as frightened as she was now. Maybe she'd be used to it. Prue pushed that thought out of her head as fast as it'd come. No, she'd never be used to it.  
Prue leaned forward in her seat, trying to get a better look through her rain streaked windshield. Finally she spotted the elementary school that Phoebe had mentioned. She spun the wheel to the right and skidded to a halt in the parking lot. Prue glanced around as she undid her seatbelt. There were only a few cars in the lot, including Piper's jeep. But everything was quiet. If something had happened, it certainly hadn't attracted attention.  
"Okay then," Prue said slowly. She'd expected mayhem, maybe a police car or two. I guess I should be happy, she thought. At least they weren't going to make the ten-o-clock news with a string of grisly murders courtesy of the demon population.  
Grabbing her umbrella from the backseat, Prue threw her door open, shivering as a cold blast of air blew through her sweater. Her umbrella was inside out before she could even open it fully and Prue brushed the wind-whipped hair from her eyes. Then she took off across the parking lot, leaping over puddles along the way. She tossed the umbrella into a trashcan, then darted over to the largest building in sight. It had to be the gym that Phoebe had mentioned. Wrapping her fingers around the door handle, Prue gave it a vicious tug. The heavy door opened, its hinges squealing. Cautiously, she stuck her head inside only to be met with total darkness.  
Great, she thought, taking a few steps inside. Big deserted buildings, darkness... it had all the makings of a Halliwell special.  
Prue glanced around, letting her eyes adjust. There were a few dirty windows up near the ceilings. The panes were covered in sticky cobwebs and the daylight that had managed to seep through couldn't quite reach the gym's farthest corners. The wind howled over the high roof and the door rattled as another gust hit it. Yep, Prue thought, eerie surroundings. This is definitely bad.  
"Phoebe?"  
Prue winced as her wet shoes squeaked across the floor. She took a few more steps, glancing around.  
"Phoebe, where are you?" Her voice echoed through the building and all she wanted to do was turn and run back to her car. Instead she stood there, holding her breath and waiting for an answer. "Phoebe?"  
"Prue!"  
Phoebe's voice made her jump, but as Prue's heart rate finally slowed, she breathed a sigh of relief. Whirling around, she peered through the darkness towards the far end of the basketball court. Suddenly the lights came back on.  
"Power must be flickering because of the storm," Phoebe said, her voice competing against the ever present thunder. "So what do you think?"  
Prue looked around the now illuminated gym. At the other end of the room sat a large stage that she hadn't noticed before. On either side of it, a few makeshift dressing rooms had been crafted using wooden frames and sheets. Prue was at a loss for words. She crossed her arms, taking it all in.  
"What should I be thinking?"  
"You should be thinking, and maybe even saying, 'Wow, what a great job Phoebe's doing. This place looks fantastic.'" Phoebe suddenly emerged from behind the bleachers, a clipboard in hand. She hurried over to Prue, a grin spreading across her face.  
"Actually what I was thinking is, 'Where exactly is the emergency that I came rushing over here for?'"  
Prue frowned at her younger sister's unbridled enthusiasm. She was getting the sinking suspicion that her earlier panic had been completely unwarranted. And the fact that Phoebe immediately looked guilty made it all the more obvious.  
"Did I say emergency?" Phoebe bit her lip as she finished her trek across the basketball court. She stood before Prue, tapping her pencil lightly against the clipboard. It was a sure sign that Phoebe had done something wrong.  
"Well I didn't come over here to catch your act." Prue attempted to smile. But she was getting a little annoyed. She waited for her sister to say something, to give an explanation, but Phoebe had switched over to silent mode. Prue could feel her fingers balling into fists. "Tell me there's an emergency."  
"All right, well maybe I overstated that just a little."  
"I left my photo shoot," Prue tried not to let the anger creep into her voice. "My very important photo shoot, for your overstatement?"  
"Okay, so I owe you one." Phoebe hugged her clipboard as Prue glared at her. "Okay so maybe I owe you four or five now."  
"Phoebe..."  
"Are you sure I said emergency?'Cause I think I meant favor. No- I know I meant favor."  
Prue exhaled quickly, trying to calm her frazzled nerves. Just as she did she heard a noise coming from the stage. Prue turned, her eyes widening as she caught sight of a short, dirty scarecrow with a bad make-up job. And he was beckoning to Phoebe. There was obviously a child under the huge pair of overalls, but Prue certainly didn't recognize him.  
"Are you coming, or what?" the little boy asked.  
"Yeah, just give me a second here!" Phoebe called back to him. Prue's eyes traveled from the boy to her sister. She opened her mouth and was about to ask a question, when she stopped herself. It just wasn't worth it.  
"Not even gonna go there," she said finally.  
"Look, Prue I'm sorry about your photo-thingy," Phoebe said. "If I'd known about it I wouldn't have called."  
Prue nodded, giving Phoebe a tight, unhappy smile.  
"Okay, well I'm soaking wet and I just missed the rest of that photo thingy." She could hear her voice getting louder, but she didn't even care. "So you don't just owe me five favors. You also owe me an umbrella, because mine is out in the garbage can with the rest of my career!"  
Phoebe jumped a little as Prue's last words reverberated off the walls of the gym. Prue watched her youngest sister for a moment, then closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She knew Phoebe didn't deserve the brunt of her frustrations.  
"All right, I'm sorry." Prue opened her eyes and unzipped her jacket, shaking the water off of her clothing. Then finally she got up the nerve to look back at Phoebe. "It's just been a really bad day. And you know, when you said emergency I just thought..." she trailed off.  
Phoebe waited for a moment, and Prue realized she was trying to survey the situation. Prue knew that her moods changed frequently and Phoebe more than anyone had learned when to duck and cover. She's probably wondering if now would be a good time, Prue thought, feeling a little bit guilty.  
"Okay." She put one arm around Phoebe and pivoted her back towards the stage. "So tell me all about this favor you need. I'd rather be here with you anyway."  
Phoebe hesitated, but her smile reappeared a few seconds later. She grabbed her sister's hand and started towards one of the dressing rooms.  
"So what are we talking about here?" Prue asked. "Do you need make-up tips for scarecrow boy over there?" She stopped. "You know I don't sew costumes right? 'Cause sewing is Piper's department."  
"Actually, Piper's the problem," Phoebe said quickly.  
"Why, what's wrong with Piper?' Prue looked around again, trying to understand what Phoebe was getting at. Piper was nowhere in sight. The only people around were less than five feet tall. And all were in various costumes. "Did I miss something in your message? I don't remember you going all Spielberg on me."  
"Spielberg's film, not theater."  
"And exactly what kind of theater are you running here?" Prue shifted her gaze back to her sister. "Child actors are great and all, but there's that whole babysitting thing you get into."  
"It's a children's play," Phoebe rolled her eyes. "So I kind of need children."  
"How did you get roped into this one?" Prue asked, trying to remember if Phoebe had mentioned it. She had to have known about her sister's latest endeavor, if only for the entertainment value. Phoebe and kids made for an interesting combo.  
"Nice to see you were listening last week," she said. "I told you at the club, that day when Piper was sick."  
Phoebe was waiting expectantly for Prue's memory to kick into gear. Prue felt a little foolish as Phoebe scowled, dropping her clipboard under her arm.  
"My children's psych class? I'm supposed to observe them-"  
"Doing what exactly?"  
"Well, after I finished my psych project I sort of volunteered to help with this." Phoebe sighed as they stopped in the middle of the gym. Prue could see the surprised look on her face, as if she couldn't quite figure out how she'd gotten there. "But now the teacher's sick, and so is Kelly who was supposed to play the wicked-"  
"Phoebe!" a voice suddenly shouted.  
"-witch," Phoebe finished.  
Prue barely even heard her. She pushed past Phoebe and rushed over to one of the dressing rooms, her sister following close behind. Prue slid to a halt, nearly running into the sheet that served as the dressing room's door. She reached out to pull it back, then gasped as the person inside did it for her. Prue's mouth dropped open. Standing in front of her was Piper, dressed all in black. A pointy hat sat on her head, slightly askew, and she held a broomstick in one hand. And she looked very, very unhappy as she tied back the sheet.  
Prue bit her lip, resisting the urge to laugh at her sister. It was perfect. The expression on Piper's face was so priceless. And the costume, well it was rather ironic for obvious reasons. Prue clapped her hands together, then turned to Phoebe, trying to ignore Piper's icy stare.  
"Okay, what, exactly, is going on here?" Prue's voice shook as she tried to suppress a giggle. Phoebe chose not to answer and instead smiled at Piper.  
"You look great!" She stepped closer to Prue, nudging her a little. She was clearly searching for back up. "Doesn't she look great?"  
"Well, she looks...like a witch."  
Phoebe rested her chin on Prue's shoulder, careful to make sure that no one else was nearby. "Well, yes, Piper is a witch," she whispered, still smiling. "So I think we're safe there."  
Prue eyed Piper, who had shifted her glare over to the oblivious Phoebe. "I'm not so sure you're safe from her."  
"She'll be fine. It's just a minor role."  
Piper stiffened as Phoebe pushed past her, ducking into the dressing room. Piper looked like she wanted to say something, but she was too angry for words. Instead she eyed Phoebe, marveling at her little sister's nerve.  
"Nice outfit," Prue teased, grabbing for the broom. Piper pulled it away, then shoved Prue lightly, watching as she stumbled inside. Prue quickly squeezed in behind the dressing table, smiling at the vicious looks Piper was shooting her way. At least that's not me, Prue thought. But Piper was always the first to get called upon for anything and everything. She was usually so eager to please. But now she seemed eager to kill someone, preferably her younger sister.  
Phoebe set her clipboard down on a nearby chair then grabbed for a makeup pencil. Prue thought about warning the girl as she advanced towards Piper. But she was somewhat curious to see how their usually good-natured sister would react to Phoebe's makeup assault.  
"All you need is one little wart right-"  
"Touch me and I'll be using this thing for more than just flying!" Piper held up the broom high in the air, her eyebrows narrowing as she scowled at her sister. In her hurry to get away, Phoebe tripped over the chair. Prue quickly reached out and caught her, then pulled her back away from Piper.  
"She speaks," Prue said.  
"And she doesn't speak nicely."  
"I said small favor, Phoebe!" Piper took a few short steps towards her youngest sister as Phoebe inched away. "Small favors don't involve brooms and pointy hats."  
"All right, costume problems later." Prue said, hastily moving between the two. "Explanations now." She glanced over at Phoebe, then gestured at Piper, taking special note of her interesting outfit. "Why is she dressed like this?"  
"Phoebe called me," Piper muttered, pushing her hat up as it slipped down her forehead. "She said it was an emergency."  
"Now where have I heard that before?"  
"Our first dress rehearsal is today," Phoebe explained. "I needed a witch, and it's not like I didn't have plenty around."  
"Yes, but why me?" Piper pointed towards Prue. "Why not her?"  
"You're smaller."  
"And available," Prue added abruptly. Now it was her turn to glare at Phoebe. Her youngest sister picked up her clipboard again and was suddenly very preoccupied with whatever she'd written. Piper pushed it out of Phoebe's line of sight with one hand, forcing Phoebe to look at her.  
"Why do I need to be small?"  
"For the harness," Phoebe said quickly, wincing as she anticipated her sister's response. "You know, broomstick, hat... flying."  
"Flying?" Piper's voice rose a few decibels and she nearly swatted Phoebe with the broom.  
"You know, Pheebs. I don't think we should be flaunting our witchiness," Prue said as she finally got a hold of the weapon. Prying the broom out of Piper's fingertips, she leaned it safely in the corner, far, far away from her bitter sister.  
"But we're not wicked witches," Phoebe protested.  
"Not yet," Piper muttered. Prue shot her a look and she collapsed into the chair, looking very much like a pouting child. "Hey, you're not the one who's supposed to melt in act three."  
"Speaking of which..." Phoebe looked over at Prue. "Did I mention I needed a Dorothy?"  
"No." Prue's eyes widened as she realized that she was about to join Piper in the world's biggest sucker category. That's the last time I listen to Phoebe's messages, she thought. Prue took a few steps away from her, moving behind Piper.  
"Just as a stand in," Phoebe followed her slowly, chasing her around Piper's chair. Prue moved away again, careful to stay out of her reach.  
"No way."  
"Come on Prue," Phoebe pleaded.  
Piper watched them go around and around her, looking rather pleased that the attention had finally shifted away from her and onto the eldest Halliwell. Prue knew Phoebe would persist until she got what she wanted, but she wasn't about to give in, not that fast anyway. She darted around her sister once again, and finally Piper reached out and grabbed them both, forcing them to a halt.  
"Okay, dizzy now."  
"Call it a favor to your youngest sister." Phoebe grabbed Prue's hand, then did her best impression of a sad puppy dog. Prue watched her for a moment, then sighed. It was already over. She'd hardly even put up a fight. Phoebe's face broke into a grin and she grabbed a pair of ruby slippers off of Piper's make-up table.  
"I owe you one," Phoebe said as she handed them over to Prue. Then she took her clipboard and hurried through the open doorway.  
"I'm counting!" Prue called after her. Phoebe stopped in the middle of the gym and looked back at them.  
"Oh and Piper, watch out for the Tin Man." She pointed towards the stage with her pencil. "He's the younger one over there. He's sort of afraid of the Wicked Witch."  
"Fine," Piper sighed. "I'll be nice."  
"No, it's just that he bites." Piper's eyes widened and she stood up again. Phoebe smiled and hugged her clipboard to her chest. "Gotta go. Kids to round up, scenes to practice." She pointed at Prue. "Dorothy, I'll need you in five."  
As Prue watched her go, she couldn't help feeling as though she'd been had. Phoebe's master plan had been perfect and after a few words and a sad face she had her sisters right where she wanted them. It had all been a whirlwind and now that she'd left, Piper and Prue were still standing there, suddenly doing something they'd never wanted to do.  
Finally Piper turned and gazed into the full-length mirror. Phoebe had made the mistake of leaving it in the room, propped up against the make-up table. And now Piper could see the true horrors of her costume. She fingered the fabric a moment, then made a face in disgust. Prue couldn't really blame her. At least as Dorothy she'd escape the ugly black sheet Phoebe had draped over their sister.  
"Sometimes I wish I could freeze her, just to keep her from talking me into these things." Piper glanced over at Prue. "How does she do this to us, every single time..."  
"Well let's just say that seeing the future isn't her only power."  
"Yeah, well I like that one better." Piper looked back at her reflection, then adjusted her hat a little. "Oh, if Grams could see me now. I bet she never thought one of her grand-daughters would take up this look."  
"Well, that hat isn't bad."  
Prue smiled and pulled down the brim, laughing as the hat fell over her eyes. Piper shoved Prue away, then took the hat off and set it back on the table. As she reached up to fix her hair, she turned on Prue, trying on the pouty face that Phoebe was so good at.  
"Trade me parts," she pleaded.  
"That's funny."  
"Come on. I look better in braided pigtails."  
"Yeah, about as good as you look in that outfit." Prue couldn't help but kid Piper about it. It was simply too easy.  
"Funny." Piper gave her a tight smile. "Real funny." She turned away, crossing her arms. But after a moment she cast a sideways glance in Prue's direction. Then suddenly she reached for the ruby slippers. "Gimme!"


	6. Chapter 5

"Ouch!" Danny Holden's eyes widened as Phoebe jabbed him with a pin. She grimaced, trying to adjust it so that the sharp point was no longer poking him. Danny looked back over his shoulder, watching her progress with wary eyes. Phoebe chose to ignore him as she checked out her handiwork. She really wasn't doing so badly. Finally, she grabbed the last of the pins from between her teeth and used it to secure his tail to the back of his shirt.

"What's Piper doing?"

Phoebe rolled her eyes upward and saw that Danny's focus had shifted. He was now gazing intently at the long line of dressing rooms, a confused expression on his face. Phoebe stood, steadying herself against the edge of the stage as she stretched her tired legs. She'd kneeled more in the last two days than she had in the last two months put together. But that was the drawback of working with kids, that and their intense curiosity.

"Who's that other girl?"

"That's Prue, my older sister," Phoebe said, trying to get Danny to turn back around. He was still missing some vital elements of his costume. But he no longer seemed to care as he watched her sisters.

"Should they be doing that?"

"Doing what?" Phoebe turned and finally saw what he'd been staring at. Prue was chasing Piper around the dressing rooms, grabbing for the ruby slippers. Piper laughed as Prue almost caught up with her, then dashed into the next room, pulling the sheet down behind her. _Great,_ Phoebe thought _two more kids to take care of._

"It's a sister thing," Phoebe said quickly. "They're just that excited to be here."

"Piper didn't seem too excited earlier."

"Well, she certainly looks excited now." Phoebe smiled as Piper came running out of the room with Prue hot on her heels. "She was just having a bad morning before. She's actually pretty cool."

"Yeah," Danny said, his eyes still glued to the two older girls. "She seemed nice earlier."

"She has that way about her." Phoebe nodded. "She just needs a chance to get into her character."

"She seems to be doing a pretty good job of it, yelling at everyone," the scarecrow said from the stage. "A witch playing a witch."

"What?" Phoebe's head shot up, before she realized what he was getting at. She felt a wave of relief wash over her, but then she narrowed her eyes. As her relief gave way to defensiveness, she glared at the boy. "All right, let's not forget who you're talking about there. And you can keep your comments to yourself thank you."

"Yeah, shut up Jason!" Danny jumped in. Phoebe was actually a little impressed. Jason was the biggest kid in the class and few of his peers would ever speak up against him.

"Aw, Danny has a crush on her." Jason pursed his lips together, kissing the air. "You should have seen him earlier, Phoebe. He's been watching her all afternoon."

"I said shut up!" Danny gritted his teeth, his hands balling up at his sides.

"Too bad she's too old for him!" Jason backed away as Danny started to leap onto the stage. Phoebe latched onto his shirt with one hand, pulling him back to the floor. She couldn't blame Danny for defending Piper, but she also couldn't let him get pummeled by Jason.

"Whoa, hold on there guys." Phoebe said. "She's taken." Phoebe tried not to smile when she saw the look of disappointment on

Danny's face. She bent over a little so that they were at eye level. "But I bet Piper would be flattered," she whispered.

Danny's eyes widened in horror. "You're not going to tell her, are you?"

"Don't worry," she said. "Your secret's safe with me."

"Yeah, and it'll be extra safe with me!" Jason yelled from the stage. This time Phoebe was unable to stop Danny from going after him. The two disappeared behind the curtain. Phoebe just sighed and shook her head.

"Why do they all go for Piper?"

It was true. Her sister was a magnet when it came to men. She'd fallen for that ghost guy two years earlier, just after they'd gotten their powers. Then of course there had been Leo, their whitelighter. He was supposed to protect all of them, but he had a special affinity for Piper. When that hadn't worked out, there had been the grad student Josh, then Dan, their friendly next door neighbor. And now she was back to Leo again. Phoebe was beginning to wonder if she would ever get a shot at any of the cute guys, or if they would all pursue Piper instead. Of course in this case, she'd rather Danny go after her sister. Phoebe liked young guys, but not that young.

Phoebe couldn't help but laugh as Jason came running back through the curtain. Danny was a good ten feet behind him when Jason let out a yell. Phoebe's eyes widened as the boy tripped, then flew across the floor. He slid to a halt next to the forest of plywood trees, groaning as he rolled over onto his back. Jumping onto the stage, Phoebe ran over to check on him.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," he mumbled as she helped him to his feet. "I'm fine." He rubbed his shin where a dark bruise was forming.

"What happened?"

"I tripped on something." He glanced around the stage as he stepped gingerly back towards the wings.

"Yeah, well maybe it's a sign telling you to slow down." Phoebe said as she helped him over to a chair. She knelt down to get a better look at his leg. The bruise was an odd shape and as she touched it gently, he winced. "Sorry." She glanced up at him.

"Something got you good." She turned to look back at the stage. It was clear. "I just wish I knew what it was," she mumbled under her breath.

"What?"

Phoebe shook her head and let it go.  
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Danny peeked out from behind the curtain, watching Phoebe's conversation with Jason. Oh, how he hated that kid. Jason had always made fun of him. He'd been the one to take Danny's lunch money when they had been younger. And Jason had certainly embarrassed him more than a few times. But today had been the worst. What he'd said about Piper... Danny's temperature rose at the thought. And now Phoebe knew. Actually anyone who had ears knew. He only hoped Piper hadn't heard.

Danny let the curtain slide out of his hands as he turned towards the backstage. The sight of Jason sliding across the floor played through his mind again and again. Danny couldn't help but smile at the image. That would teach Jason to humiliate him.  
Picking up his backpack from under a table, Danny made his way down the back stairs. Then he circled around to the dressing rooms that sat near to the main stage. Once inside he pulled the sheets all around so that no one could see in. When he was sure he was alone, he opened his backpack and pulled out a book, running his fingers over the red embossed cover. He smiled then flipped to one of the pages he'd marked.

"Felling Your Foe..." he read the title of the spell quietly to himself. Taking out his pen, he slowly wrote a single word on the post-it he'd stuck on the page: Perfect.

"Danny?" The boy jumped as one of the sheets was pulled back. Relief swept over him though, when he recognized the man who'd stuck his head in. It was only his Uncle. The man glanced down at the book, a puzzled expression on his face. "What's that you're reading there?"

"Nothing, just some school stuff." Danny hastily slipped the book back into his bag. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to check on our little construction project," he said. "When we built the dressing rooms, I wasn't picturing so many kids running around."

"I think they'll be okay," Danny said. "Jason knocked one down already, but Phoebe got it back up."  
"So you guys just about done here?"

"Not even close." Danny stood and shouldered his backpack. "Phoebe had to replace Dorothy and the wicked witch with her sisters." He glanced over at Piper, who had made her way over to the stage. "I think we might be here awhile."

"You don't sound too disappointed."

"It's fun." He shrugged, trying not to smile as he thought about Jason. "Phoebe said I could switch to the lion part, but I kind of like being the head monkey."

"All right then, I'll let you get back to your play." His uncle patted him on the back, then grinned. "Just don't let that witch get you."

Danny smiled a little, then nodded. "I'll call you when we're done."  
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"Phoebe, are you sure about this?" Prue peaked out from behind the dressing room sheet as her sister passed by. Phoebe could only see her head and the expression on her face. Prue did not look pleased. "I mean do I really have to dress up? 'Cause I think I could be a pretty convincing Dorothy without the blue and white outfit."

"They call it a dress rehearsal for a reason," Phoebe reminded her.

"Yes and everyone else looks great. Okay, well maybe not Piper, but-"

"Well, you don't see her complaining-" Phoebe stopped as she saw the pointed look Prue shot her way. Okay, that hadn't really been the best example. Piper was her most disgruntled cast member to date. "All right, but she had good reason," Phoebe added. "All you have to do is put on a dress, get on that stage, and let the munchkins sing to you."  
"They're going to sing to me?" Prue asked, obviously horrified at the thought. "Phoebe, I really do love you, but this might be pushing it."

"You know, the ten and eleven year olds have a better attitude than you and Piper."

"Well, the ten and eleven year olds have costumes that fit!"

Prue disappeared back behind the curtain and Phoebe shook her head. This whole thing was working up to be one big disaster. Perhaps throwing her sisters into the mix hadn't been the best idea.

"Phoebe!" the tin man suddenly yelled out. Phoebe whirled around just in time to see the poor child flailing, his costume caught on the edge of the large wooden rainbow.

"Oh no," she muttered as he struggled to detach himself from the support beam. Danny's uncle, who had also set-up the stage, had warned them to be careful of the rainbow. Now as she watched it lean, she knew why. "Whoa, Vincent, hold on a sec there!"

"Phoebe!" The child squirmed some more.

"Wait Vincent, stop.." Phoebe saw the rainbow sway again, then it abruptly pitched forward. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the crashing sound. But it never came. She opened her eyes slowly, squinting up at the stage. The rainbow was still in the air. Okay, disaster averted, Phoebe thought, sighing with relief.  
Piper was standing in front of her, a cocky smile on her face. Everything and everyone else was frozen, including the falling rainbow. Phoebe grinned and put a thankful arm around Piper. "That, my dear sister, is a great little power you have there."  
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Faith Evans peered through the tiny window on the gym door. She knew she could get into the gym, having long since mastered the art of slipping through doors. But for now she just watched and waited. She couldn't do anything right then anyway. Her timing had to be perfect. Otherwise she would never be able to follow through with her plan.

Inside the gym she saw Phoebe and Piper struggling to secure the rainbow, before returning to their previous positions. A moment later, Piper waved her hands and suddenly the world came back into motion. Those witches were powerful, she knew. They were the ones she'd been searching for. They were the reason she'd come back.

"There you are..." Faith said slowly, her eyes glued to the sisters. "I knew I would find you."


	7. Chapter 6

"I don't like this..." Piper shook her head, stirring the cream into her coffee. She watched as Phoebe paced back and forth through the kitchen, the cordless phone pressed to her ear. Then she glanced over at Prue. "Why do I get the feeling we're going to be reprising our roles?"  
"Oh no." Prue reached over and grabbed the cream from her, pushing aside the newspaper. Most days she liked her coffee black, but today was not one of those days. "I will wear gingham no more. This was a one-time deal. Tomorrow I go back to being Prue Halliwell, photographer."  
"So no more Prue Halliwell, kinda lousy actress?"  
Prue scowled at her, stealing the sugar right out of her hands. "No, I think not."  
"Yeah, well tell that to your sister." Piper pointed behind her. Prue twisted around and saw Phoebe leaning over the back of her chair, smiling hopefully as she shut off the phone. Prue had long since learned to read her sister's expressions. And that one meant she was about to get sucked in once more.  
"You want the good news or the bad news?" Phoebe asked.  
"I'm thinking that the good news is only slightly better than the bad news, so it really doesn't matter," Prue said.  
"This is true." Phoebe pulled a chair over and sat between Prue and Piper. "But since I know that I have two very thoughtful and caring sisters..." she trailed off and cast a sideways glance at Prue.  
"I have another photo shoot tomorrow."  
"But only until two," Phoebe said quickly. "Piper told me."  
"Huh, I guess it's back to Prue Halliwell, photographer slash kinda lousy actress." Piper smiled sweetly at her, taking the sugar back and pouring it into her coffee.  
"Thanks." Prue shot Piper a nasty look. She made a mental note to get her back later. That whole wicked persona seemed to be rubbing off on her.  
"Hey, if I'm going down, you're going down with me."  
"Phoebe, this play of yours is supposed to be ready by the end of the week," Prue said. She knew even Phoebe had to listen to logic. And having Piper and herself star in a school play just wasn't logical. It was merely embarrassing. "We don't even know the lines."  
"I just need you there long enough so that the kids can learn theirs," Phoebe explained. "All you have to do is dress up, follow the cues and read from the script."  
"And fly," Piper muttered under her breath. Suddenly she looked over at Phoebe, brightening a little. "Hey, does Prue have to sing?"  
"Oh right," Prue said. "I can just see me belting out 'Over the Rainbow' while you're swinging above it."  
"No singing, I promise." Phoebe leaned over the table, grabbing her hand. Prue could see how much her sister wanted their help. Still, it was going to take a lot to get her back into that dress. "Please?"  
"Phoebe, I don't know..."  
"Please, please, please..." Phoebe just kept repeating the same word over and over again, as Piper eyed Prue.  
"She can keep doing this for awhile, you know." Piper glanced over at Phoebe. "What was your record again?"  
"Forty minutes and twenty seven seconds," Phoebe said, without missing a beat. Then she quickly returned to her pleases. Prue covered her face with her hands, groaning as Phoebe continued the onslaught. Piper cupped her mug in both hands, and Prue could see her suppressing a smile.  
"Okay, stop." Prue suddenly reached out and covered Phoebe's mouth with her hand. Phoebe gave up reluctantly as Piper sipped her coffee, hiding her grin behind her cup. "What was the slightly good news?"  
"There's a chance I'll get my leads back before opening night," Phoebe said.  
"A chance?" Piper started to cough as she looked over at Prue. Her eyes widened and Prue could see her expression of horror. Prue bit her lip, trying to think of a good way to stall. She caught Piper's eye and together they got up and carried their coffee mugs over to the sink, leaving Phoebe back at the table.  
"Oh, but it's a good chance," Phoebe assured them. She stood abruptly and followed them through the kitchen. If Phoebe didn't get her way through charm, Prue knew she could do it by nagging them to death. She was already half way there. "Come on." Phoebe smiled. "It'll be fun. Remember those plays we used to do in your room?"  
"Phoebe, you were always the lead in those plays," Piper said.  
"And I never had to sing," Prue added.  
"You don't have to sing," Phoebe said. "I've heard you sing and believe me..." She trailed off as Prue glared at her. "...you have a great voice. But-"  
"Just quit while you're ahead, Pheebs," Piper said, patting her sister on the shoulder as she headed out of the kitchen.  
"So does this mean you'll be the witch tomorrow?"  
"I will be the witch tomorrow." Piper poked her head back through the doorway. "But you better believe I'm gonna find a way for you to make it up to me."  
Phoebe nodded as Piper left. Then she looked back at Prue. With Piper bailing on her, Prue knew she was going down fast. And now there's another reason to get Piper back later...  
"So Piper's still in," Phoebe said. "Don't you think you should be there, you know supporting her?"  
"You mean watch as she flails through the air in that ridiculous costume?"  
"You know I'm not deaf!" Piper stuck her head through the doorway again. She glanced from Prue to Phoebe suspiciously, waiting for them to say something else. They looked at her with innocent expressions, but she frowned at them, then disappeared. Phoebe waited a few more seconds, before turning back to Prue.  
"Well I still need you," Phoebe said. "And it really won't be that hard, I promise." Phoebe lowered her voice. "You got a better part than Piper." They both glanced at the doorway, waiting for Piper to pop back in again. When it was safe Phoebe started to continue. "And besides-"  
"I heard that!" Piper yelled from the living room.  
"Ooh, delayed reaction," Prue winced. But then again, they should have expected it. Piper always seemed to be in the middle of things.  
"Wow, does that girl have supernatural hearing?" Phoebe whispered.  
"No, I just know when you're talking about me." Piper was back in the doorway again, her arms crossed as she stared in at them.  
"Okay fine, we're talking about you." Prue went over and shoved her out the door. "Now leave so we can continue."  
"But-"  
"Upstairs, come on, let's go." Prue led her over to the steps, then waited as she started up. Piper turned around to protest again, but Prue just pointed towards the second floor. Piper rolled her eyes, then went up to her room. Phoebe came and stood behind Prue and they both watched as Piper disappeared down the hall.  
"We weren't really talking about her, were we?" Phoebe just wanted to be sure.  
"No." Prue smiled. "But we can now."  
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Piper stood at the door for a moment, trying to decide whether to sneak back downstairs and eavesdrop some more. Finally she turned and walked over to her window. She'd had enough fun for the night. Besides she already knew what was happening down there. Phoebe was talking Prue into playing Dorothy. Piper smiled a little. Actually, she'd probably already accomplished that feat. They'd most likely moved on to other topics by now. Piper just hoped that those other topics didn't include how silly she was going to look in that stupid harness. The truth was that Piper didn't really mind all that much. It could even be fun, hanging out with her sisters, working with kids. As long as that little tin man with the sharp teeth stayed away from her, she knew she'd be fine.  
Pushing the curtains aside, Piper glanced out the window. It was nearly nightfall, and the clouds hadn't moved much since morning. If anything they had only gotten more menacing, angry gray splotches against the darkening sky. An even larger storm was coming, she could feel it, and the roll of thunder that suddenly shook the house only confirmed her prediction.  
June was turning out to be a wet and miserable month. For some reason though, she couldn't take her eyes off those clouds. She opened her window, then shivered as a cold blast of wind hit her, shooting straight though her sweatshirt. Quickly she closed the window again and watched as the lightning lit up the sky. It was almost eerie and her heart beat even faster as she forced herself to close the curtains. Storms always made her nervous. Bad things always seemed to come with them.  
Piper shook her head, trying to get that tinge of anxiety out of her system. It was silly, she knew. Crossing over to her chair, she picked up the witch costume Phoebe had laid out for her. Obviously, Phoebe had already assumed that Piper would continue her role. After the kid who was supposed to play the witch had dropped out, Phoebe had thrown together a larger costume out of bed sheets and old Halloween props. But now Phoebe had altered the dress a little more, so that at the very least Piper wouldn't have half a sheet trailing behind her.  
Holding up the dress by its hanger, Piper carefully inspected it. She wrinkled her nose, trying not to inhale the moth ball scent that still clung to the sheet. Finally, Piper placed the hanger around her neck so that the dress hung loosely in front of her. She grabbed the hat from the chair and placed it on her head. Then, standing in front of her mirror she turned from side to side, modeling the outfit for herself. But there was no getting around it. She still looked silly.  
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Piper caught sight of a glimmer of light. She smiled to herself, already knowing what to expect. In the beginning Leo's habit of abruptly orbing in and out had been a little unsettling. Now, she looked forward to the surprise.  
Piper's smile broke into a full grin as he appeared beside her. She whirled around to face him, hoping that he wasn't bringing bad news. He stood there for a moment, regarding her. The smile he had been wearing was slowly replaced by a puzzled expression, as his eyes moved up a few inches from her face. Piper stared at him then allowed her eyes to roll upward.  
"Oh!" She suddenly remembered the hat. She took it off quickly and threw it back onto the chair. Pushing her hair back behind her ears, she tried not to blush. "Sorry, you caught me a little off guard."  
"I have a way of doing that," Leo said, his smile appearing once more. He watched as Piper removed the hanger from around her neck. "Are you shooting for a new look here?"  
"Didn't I mention it?" Piper held up the dress for him. "Very inconspicuous don't you think?"  
"Yep, way to keep with the secret identity."  
"It's for a play Phoebe dragged me into," Piper explained as she laid the dress back on the chair. Then she stepped over to him, shaking her head. "It doesn't matter. What matters, is that you're here now." She stopped. "You are here now right? You're not going to pull the disappearing act are you?"  
"I'm here."  
"Good." She smiled. "Well since I'm here and you're here..." She trailed off as he reached out to hug her. Then she looked up at him, resting her chin on his chest. "Are you here for good reasons, or evil, demony reasons?"  
"Well, something's up," Leo admitted. "I was supposed to come and warn you."  
"You were supposed to come and warn me that _something's up_?" Piper gave him a skeptical look as he let go of her. It wasn't easy having a boyfriend who doubled as their information man, especially when he brought bad information. "Is that like a whitelighter code word for big danger?"  
"Something like that," Leo said. "But I can't really tell you exactly what the big danger is. I don't really know myself."  
"I guess your people aren't real big on clarity."  
"Not always, no." Leo moved over to the chair and examined the witch costume more closely. "Sometimes, I just get the basic warnings."  
"So, I'm supposed to go downstairs and announce some nice, ambiguous danger?" Piper quickly grabbed up the witch costume and walked it over to her closet. She ignored the smirk on Leo's face as she hung it up. "Very useful, thank you."  
"Hey, don't shoot the messenger."  
"Then stop bringing lousy messages," Piper said.  
"I'll see what I can do."  
Piper nodded then moved back over to him, hugging him again. She'd missed Leo. He hadn't been back for a few days, and now that he was, she wasn't about to waste time worrying about a danger that seemed so far away. She glanced up at him with a small smile and he leaned down to kiss her. Just as their lips met, another crash of thunder ripped through the night. Piper jumped, pulling away abruptly.  
"What's wrong?" Leo stared at her, but Piper's eyes were glued to the window again. Suddenly, the rain started. She could hear it pounding on her window as the wind screamed through the streets. Piper shivered again and Leo held her tighter. "Piper, what is it?"  
Piper looked at him, then back to the window, where the lightning was flashing. "The storm..." She swallowed as her throat went dry. "It's here."


	8. Chapter 7

Sorry guys, I tried that double spacing thing but it took too long. This site appartenly doesn't like easier reading.

Danny pressed his face up against the glass, trying to see down into the street. He could feel a chill deep within his body, but he wanted to see the beginning of the storm. The last time they'd had one like this everything had changed, some stuff for good, and some not so good. But the storm had been there, pounding away the entire time, as if to warn them all of what was to come. Storms never came alone. They always brought something with them.  
There was excitement building up within him as the thunder crashed again and again. It felt like the world was about to change again, the storm was that powerful. People were scrambling across the pavement, jumping over puddles and trying to get home to their nice warm beds. And as Danny sat in his nice warm bed, all he wanted was to go out and stand in that storm, to feel its power, to stare up into the rain and watch the lightning perform its show above him. But he already knew he couldn't. Uncle Edward would never allow that. He just didn't understand.  
Finally, Danny rolled over in bed, letting his head fall back on his pillow. He lay there for a minute or two, eyes closed, trying to fall asleep. But the excitement and the anticipation that swept through him wouldn't allow that to happen. He snapped his eyes open, staring at his clock. Slowly his gaze moved to the other items on his nightstand. There was a little plastic solider a babysitter had given him, a few sticks of gum, a mini basketball and a photo of him when he had been younger. He reached out and grabbed the frame, feeling the cool metal in his fingers. He stared at the picture. It had been taken in the park a long time ago. He sat on his father's shoulders and his mother stood next to them, her arm supporting him from the back. Danny ran his fingers over the glass, trying to remember that day. But he couldn't, he had been too young. His father had died a short time later, leaving Danny with a scrapbook of pictures and letters but no real memories at all. And then his mother... Danny's heart still ached at the thought of her. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was over. The past was the past.  
Danny sat up quickly, then jumped out of bed. None of that mattered anymore. He couldn't let it bother him. His Uncle Edward would take care of him. He had been there when his mother had died and he'd been ready and willing to take the boy in. And now he was all Danny needed.  
Stepping gingerly across the floor, he wandered over to his closet, feeling his way through the darkness. After a moment of reaching around, he found his flashlight on a shelf, shoved behind all his clothes. He trained the beam around the room until the light finally fell on his backpack. Danny smiled, then went over and pulled out the red book. Getting back into bed, he propped himself up against the headboard and opened it. He flipped through the pages slowly, glancing at the post-it's he'd stuck in along the way. Across some he had scrawled the word perfect. Others had the word Dud written on them.  
Danny skipped back and re-read the book's introduction. The magic the author discussed was fascinating to him. He felt like the book gave him a power, or maybe just released the power that had been there from the very beginning. There was something special within those red covers, and he knew that if he just kept trying, he'd be able to find it.  
Outside the wind blew through the trees, whipping them violently into his window. The long, gnarled branches scraped against the glass and Danny winced at the horrible noise. His eyes shot up from his book and he watched as the trees tried to claw their way in. They looked like the bony hands of the dead, trying to reach up and grab him.  
Danny bit his lip and pushed himself away from the window. A sudden flash of lightening illuminated his room, and for that split second Danny thought he saw a figure standing before him. But when he blinked she was gone, and the room was dark once more, except for the beam of light that he'd trained on the book.  
Danny swallowed hard as he stared into the darkness. But he was definitely alone, for now at least.  
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Phoebe squinted, moving the book closer, then pushing it away again. But all she had in front of her was a big patch of blackish blobs. With a sigh, she sat the book at the foot of her bed, then laid down on her stomach, still staring at the blurry images on the page. Finally she opened the drawer in her bed stand and pulled out her glasses. She slipped them on quickly and watched as the words came back into focus. Phoebe smiled with satisfaction then turned another page in the Book of Shadows.  
"Knock knock." Phoebe glanced up and saw Piper standing there in her doorway.  
"Oh, hey. Nice to see one of my sisters," Phoebe smiled. "Prue ditched us for the dark room and left me with BoS duty."  
"You want some company?" Piper held out a tin of chocolate chip cookies. "I come bearing food."  
"That's good enough for me." Phoebe rolled over onto her side as Piper came and sat next to her. Already Phoebe could sense that something was wrong. Piper always baked cookies when she was upset. "Has Leo left the building?"  
"Yep." Piper leaned back against the headboard handing over the cookie tin. Then she picked up one of the stuffed animals that Prue had found in the attic. Phoebe could see the slightest hint of sadness in Piper's expression. Now that she and Leo had gotten back together, Piper tried to hide her disappointment whenever he left. But it always showed, and it was showing now.  
"Back to business," Piper glanced down at the floor as she twisted the little bowtie on the stuffed bear. Then her eyes drifted over to Phoebe. "I guess that'll never change, huh?"  
"Not unless one of you finds a new occupation." Phoebe stood up and grabbed another blanket from her closet. Then she went and sat next to Piper, pulling the blanket up over them both. "But I think The Powers That Be get kind of cranky about those things."  
"You mean like clipping Leo's wings?"  
"Classic sign," Phoebe nodded. "But they gave them back, so you still have a shot with the in-laws."  
"It's like some kind of cosmic joke." Piper smiled a little, but it was an unhappy smile. "A whitelighter and a witch. He's basically immortal and I've almost died numerous times."  
"He'll never age and you'll turn old and gray."  
"Yes." Piper sighed and let her head fall back on the wall. "That helped, thank you."  
"I know Piper, it sucks," Phoebe said as she pried the tin open. She felt bad for her sister, but her sympathy only went so far. "At least you have someone. I mean Leo knows everything about you. You can tell him anything."  
"Yeah, I know," Piper said. She looked around the room for a moment, then caught sight of a picture frame on the table next to the bed. It was a photo of Phoebe and their mom. Piper picked it up, staring at it intently. "Do you ever think about Mom? I mean what it would've been like if she hadn't died?"  
"Okay, so we're moving from one depressing topic to another." Phoebe nodded, grabbing a cookie. She was going to need a whole bunch with the way this night seemed to be headed. "I guess we're just skipping right over the preparatory light-hearted conversation."  
"I'm sorry," Piper said, glancing from the picture to Phoebe. "It's just this whole thing with Leo, it's making me think. I mean Mom fell in love with her whitelighter. She must have had all the same problems. I just wish she was here to tell me what to do, you know, give me a little motherly advice."  
"Piper, she was just as confused as you are," Phoebe insisted. "There's nothing she could say that would make it any easier."  
"Okay, fine," Piper said. "But what happens when we have families of our own? I mean, we don't know anything about raising little witches. What happens when I get hauled into the principal's office because my kid just froze everyone at recess?"  
"Whoa, hit the brakes there." Phoebe couldn't hide her surprise, even as she munched on her cookie. "You're thinking about having kids with Leo?"  
"Well, not now," Piper said quickly as she set the picture back on the table. "But when I went to the future I saw us married, with a daughter."  
"Well, first of all, you were separated," Phoebe said.  
"Okay, skipping over that now."  
"And second of all, I'm sure you'll make a wonderful mom." Phoebe smiled. "Prue's kids will probably be running to your house after their therapy sessions..."  
"Phoebe!" Piper smacked her, nearly knocking the cookie out of her hand. "Prue will be a great mother."  
"Yeah, in a control freakish sort of way."  
Piper shook her head, rolling her eyes at her sister. But then her expression became serious once more.  
"It's just not fair," she said. "There's so much we don't know, so much Mom could have told us. At least she had Grams to help her."  
"Well we have each other."  
"I know you're right." Piper nodded, but Phoebe could still see the sadness on her face. And then the anger began to creep in. "Being a witch is what killed her Pheebs, and it's just caused so many other problems. I mean is it really worth it to be messing up our relationships, risking our lives, having the attic be the most frequented room in the house..." Piper made a face at the thought. "The only book I've touched in months has demon pictures on every other page."  
"Saving people is always worth it," Phoebe insisted. "Mom knew that. And you know that." She put her arm around Piper, then eyed the picture her sister had been looking at. "And besides it wasn't being a witch that took her away, it was the water demon."  
"I wish I had gotten to kill that thing," Piper mumbled. Phoebe glanced over at her sister as she heard all the pain and hatred that was there in her voice. Piper was usually the sweetest and most forgiving of them all. But Phoebe knew this wasn't a subject that any of them could talk about without a large amount of bitterness.  
"Yeah, well, Prue did it for us." She was ready to change the subject. Piper certainly needed the distraction. "And speaking of the baddies..." Phoebe pulled the Book of Shadows closer, handing the tin back to her sister. "I couldn't find anything too specific on the big danger."  
"Imagine how surprised I am," Piper said, taking a cookie. "I didn't exactly give you much to go on. I doubt the book has a whole lot to say about the 'big danger.'"  
"Don't be so sure." Phoebe placed the book in her lap, brushing out the crumbs she had dropped in its bindings. "It did that auto page flipping thing again."  
"Did we get a definite ID?"  
"Nope, but we do have three possibilities." Phoebe skipped to one of the pages she'd marked. "Contestant number one, a ghost vanquishing spell."  
"Ghosts aren't the worst thing we've faced," Piper said as she pushed the blanket away. She jumped off of the bed, then disappeared out the door. "They probably don't warrant the big danger label."  
"And since this is the spell that requires one of us to die..."  
"Skip it," Piper called back to her.  
"Good plan." Phoebe headed for the next page. She could hear the water faucet running in the bathroom, which meant that Piper was still within earshot. And so she continued.  
"Okay then, contestant number two, the Vargo demons. A fun filled little demon that possesses numerous powers, and enjoys killing people. Pretty run of the mill actually."  
"It's sad when mass murder is run of the mill," Piper said as she came back inside, a glass of water in hand. She sat down next to her sister, glancing over her shoulder.  
"Oh wait, here's something different," Phoebe pointed out. "They're supposed to gather together at the end of the millennium on the longest day of the year-that'd be pretty soon-to choose their new leader." Phoebe scanned the rest of the page, then pointed out one of the pictures. Piper's eyes widened as she sipped her water. "And they have a nice little ritual involving human sacrifice."  
"Eew." Piper shook her head. "Let's go to the third guy."  
"Agreed." Phoebe nodded. "So our last demon comes to us from a small town on the eastern seaboard where it was first discovered in 1878. Since then it has popped up in numerous areas across the country and has-" Phoebe stopped abruptly, her eyebrows narrowing as she read the rest to herself. She turned slowly and looked over her glasses at Piper. "You know I had the window open on this last one. The pages might have blown around a little."  
"Why, what does it say?" Piper pulled the book closer. She read for a moment, then closed the book suddenly, slamming its covers together. "All right, well we'll have to hope it's not that one."  
Suddenly the lights dimmed. Phoebe glanced up and waited, knowing that at this point the power would either return, or go out completely. She held her breath, hoping that it wouldn't be the latter. After a moment the lights seemed to get brighter. But then they went out, and the room was plunged into darkness.


	9. Chapter 8

"Well this is nice," Piper muttered, carefully setting her glass on the table. "Remind me how much I love storms."  
"Maybe, it'll come back on," she heard Phoebe say.  
"Not with this weather." Piper glanced around, trying to get her eyes to adjust. She could just make out Phoebe and the edge of the bed. But beyond that was a big black pit of nothingness.  
Piper dragged her half of the blanket up over her legs, then jumped as a long squealing sound came out of the darkness. She resisted the urge to pull the blanket all the way over her head and instead looked towards Phoebe.  
"It was just the house," Phoebe said. But there wasn't much certainty in her tone.  
"It sounded like a door opening," Piper said, feeling her heart start to race. "Oh god, what if that's the big danger? What if it just granted itself an all access pass?"  
"Can we say paranoia?"  
"Oh yeah, like we've never had demons and warlocks in the house before," Piper said, the fear still in her voice. Already her mind was starting to list the numerous evil beings that had come calling. "We're practically their hang out spot."  
"It was probably Prue."  
"Or maybe the demon attacking Prue."  
She could see Phoebe shift beside her, thinking that over. Suddenly, her sister stood up and grabbed Piper's hand. Piper pulled back, not wanting to move. She wasn't exactly anxious to go stumbling through the hallways.  
"What are you doing?"  
"Well, if there is something wrong, then we have to help Prue."  
Piper sat there for a moment, considering what her sister had said. Wandering through a big dark house, or losing Prue to some vicious warlock, she weighed the options in her mind. Finally, she got to her feet.  
"All right, but if it is a warlock, and it murders us, I'm going to kick Leo's shimmery butt."  
"You'll be dead, Piper."  
"Fine, then he better expect nightly hauntings for eternity." Piper grabbed onto her sister's nightshirt, not wanting to get separated as they walked out into the hall. "Him and his stupid big danger. Oh yeah, way to be helpful Leo."  
"Hey, um, does Leo really have a shimmery…?" Piper cut her off with a vicious look. Phoebe nodded slowly, pushing her hair back behind her ears. She got the message loud and clear. It wasn't the time to ask. Piper could hear her clearing her throat before she continued. "Anyway, it's not his fault that they didn't do the info relay."  
"I'm sure he could have been a little more…" Piper stopped as the house creaked again. She could feel a slight draft blowing through and she was suddenly very cold. Piper shivered, twisting Phoebe's shirt in her fingers. "Okay, getting scared now."  
"Let's just find Prue." Phoebe stepped carefully down the hall, dragging Piper along. "Prue! Pru-ow!" She touched her arm where Piper had hit her. "What was that for?"  
"Phoebe, if you keep yelling, Mr. Warlock Guy's not gonna have to search long to find us."  
"All right, but how-"  
A sudden flash of light came from the darkness. Piper shrieked and Phoebe covered her eyes as her sister ducked behind her. Holding her breath, Phoebe waited for the warlock to kill her, to zap her out of existence, or to set her on fire. When nothing happened she slowly lowered her hands from her face.  
"Piper..."  
"What?" Phoebe could hear her sister's muffled voice. Piper was still hiding behind her, her face buried in Phoebe's back. "Are we dead?"  
"Not unless Prue's here to kill us with a flashlight," she said. "And by the way, I'm glad you love me so much, you know, that you'd hide your little active powered bod behind me."  
Piper didn't say anything. But she did make a face at Phoebe as she moved out from behind her. There stood Prue, pointing a flashlight at them. In her other arm, she held a few candles and two more flashlights.  
"I thought you guys might want these," Prue said as she approached them.  
"So that was you making all the noise?" Phoebe asked.  
"Just me and the house." Prue gave her a puzzled expression as she handed Phoebe a flashlight. "I didn't realize the sight of me bringing candles was such a frightening one. Way to be on the defense there, Piper."  
"Thanks," Piper said shortly, taking her flashlight from Prue. Phoebe pointed her own light at Piper and saw her face burn with embarrassment. Prue regarded her with a small smile but Piper just scowled back. "Just glad you're not getting slaughtered by a warlock."  
"A warlock?"  
"Let Phoebe fill you in." Piper pushed the button on her flashlight, then pointed it towards her own door. After a moment she turned and followed the beam of light into her room. Once she closed the door behind her, Prue looked to Phoebe.  
"What was that about?"  
"She's just a little edgy," Phoebe explained. "You know, because of the big danger."  
"The big danger?"  
"Oh you haven't heard about that yet?" Phoebe smiled and gently grabbed her sister's arm. Then she led Prue back to her room. "Come on in and I'll show you our three contestants."  
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_She could feel the chill of the rain over every inch of her body. But she sat there anyway, freezing cold, a puddle surrounding her. Piper took a deep breath, trying to slow her racing heart. The water had long since soaked through her clothes and she shivered uncontrollably. But still, she didn't make any move to get out of the rain. She just sat there against the cold brick wall, hugging her knees to her chest. She could feel the tears slowly running down her cheeks, mixing with the rain. But her sadness and horror had been replaced by an odd sort of emptiness. All she could feel was the horrible ache that was buried deep within her._  
_Piper closed her eyes, still trying to breathe. She could see the picture from the little book even as she pressed her eyelids shut. It was imprinted in her mind, and she knew she would never get that image out of her head. It would be with her forever, always in the back of her mind, a silent reminder of what she had done._  
Piper rolled over with a jolt as the house shook. A bolt of lightning ripped through the sky and illuminated her bedroom. Her bedroom...she was still in her bedroom. She sat up slowly and glanced around. Everything was the same except for the rumpled pile of blankets that had landed on the floor. It was the same stormy night that she had fallen asleep to. Piper sighed with relief. It had only been a nightmare.  
Slowly she lowered herself back onto her bed, trying not to remember the dream. That was the last thing she needed tonight. Already the storm had her freaked. She couldn't understand why. She'd faced demons and warlocks and other creatures most people had never imagined. And yet one little thunderstorm was causing shivers to run down her spine. Something was different tonight though. She could feel it. Half of her wanted to jump up and run into Phoebe's room. She knew her sisters were probably still there, conferencing over their demon problem.  
Piper bit her lip as she lay there. She couldn't go rushing to her sisters every time a storm hit. She was an adult after all. She closed her eyes reluctantly, willing herself to think about nice things, Leo, a tropical beach, winning the lottery...back to Leo again. She smiled a little, pulling her covers up around her chin. But as she rolled over to one side she thought she heard a sound coming from the corner. It's probably just the trees in the wind, she tried to assure herself. Or maybe the cat had sneaked into her room. Whatever it was, it was nothing to worry about. There was-  
Piper jumped as something crashed to the floor. Sitting up again, she grabbed for the flashlight. The sound had seemed very close and as she pointed the light around the floor she realized why. One of her picture frames had fallen. Piper sighed and leaned over to grab it. She picked it up carefully, wary of the broken glass as she examined it further. The photo was of Prue, Phoebe and her. A smile spread across her face as she remembered the day it was taken. It had been around Christmas, during their tree-trimming party, just before-  
Piper dropped the frame as another sound startled her. It sounded farther away, maybe on the other side of her room. Either they were having an earthquake she couldn't feel, or the storm was creating quite the draft through the house. Piper was beginning to feel more annoyed than scared as she turned her flashlight beam towards the wall. She rolled over trying to get a better look at what had fallen this time. It was then that her light hit the woman standing at the foot of her bed.  
Piper screamed and dropped the flashlight as she frantically attempted to freeze her. But nothing happened and the light hit the ground, rolling under the bed. Piper scrambled to her feet, trying to get to the other side of the room and as far away from the pale young woman as possible. But there was no way to get to the door without passing her. Piper wanted to run, to take her chances with a mad dash for the hall. Instead she stood there frozen and terrified, not knowing what to do. Piper finally got the nerve to meet the woman's eyes and she recognized her instantly.  
She gasped, her eyes widening as she backed up towards the window. I'm going to die, she thought. My sisters are going to come in here tomorrow and find dead Piper all over the room..."Piper!"  
Piper shrieked, the sound of Prue's voice catching her off guard. Her sisters burst into the room, and just as Piper was about to shout out a warning, she stopped herself. The woman was gone. Piper blinked, whirling around. But she and her sisters were the only ones there.  
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"Piper?" It took Prue a moment to spot her sister in the dimly lit room. Finally, Phoebe caught her in the beam of her flashlight and they both stared at her. Piper was standing over near the window, desperately searching for something.  
"Piper, what's wrong?" Prue went over to her and grabbed her gently, forcing her to turn around. She held Piper's clammy hand in her own, but her sister didn't seem to notice her presence. "You're shaking."  
Piper finally looked at her and Prue could see the terror in her eyes. Something had frightened her badly.  
"Did you see it?" Piper asked quickly.  
"What?" Phoebe looked around. "Piper, there's nothing here."  
"Of course, there's something." she said.  
"Well, I don't see anything." Phoebe eyed Prue, obviously worried.  
"I saw it, someone or something-" Piper glanced around one final time, then leaned back against the wall. She shot a cautious look at the door as if readying herself for a quick escape. Phoebe reached out and brushed the hair out of Piper's face, trying to calm her down.  
"Honey, what happened?" she asked. "We could hear you screaming down the hall."  
"Yeah, us and half the neighborhood, " Prue mumbled as she surveyed the room. But if Piper really had seen something, then it was long gone.  
"I'm sorry." Piper took a deep breath. "I just-" She glanced around again in total confusion. "I don't know."  
"What was it?"  
"I thought I saw something," Piper said hesitantly. She seemed more embarrassed than scared now. "It just startled me that's all."  
"It startled you right out of bed?" Phoebe tried not to smile as she saw Piper's mangled pile of blankets.  
"I guess I was sleep walking."  
"Well, remind me to stay out of your way," Prue said as she kneeled down by the bed to retrieve the lost flashlight. She stood up slowly, directing the light towards her sister. "Are you sure you're okay?"  
"Yeah." Piper sighed, taking a few slow steps towards the door. "I think I'm just gonna get a drink from the kitchen."  
"Okay, but no more caffeine for you young lady!" Phoebe called after her. Prue made a face at her, then whirled around as Piper popped back into the room.  
"I'll just take that for now." She held out her hand and Prue quickly relinquished the flashlight. Then Piper slipped out of the room once more.  
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"Whoa, check out the edgy girl." Phoebe glanced over at Prue. Something was clearly up with Piper. Even the most paranoid of the Halliwell sisters didn't usually wake up screaming. "What was that about?"  
"Piper doesn't sleep walk." Prue said, walking over to the bed as Phoebe trained the flashlight around the room. Everything looked normal, except for the creepy shadows the light was creating.  
"Exactly. And she didn't seem too forthcoming with whatever it is she saw."  
"Or thought she saw anyway..." Prue mumbled. Phoebe followed her over to the bed, as she noticed the glass on the floor. She knelt down next to it, then pointed the flashlight at the picture frame Piper had dropped.  
"The work of our sleep walking sister?"  
"That must have been some nightmare." Prue picked up the picture and couldn't help but smile as she stared at it. "Last Christmas." She held the photo out for Phoebe. "Remember? Piper froze the dinner guests when the tree nearly fell on them."  
"Hey, she was the one who wanted the Douglas fir." Phoebe reached out to take the frame from her sister. It was then that she got the flash.  
Phoebe held her breath for a second. It had been nearly two years since she'd received her power. And yet there were still times when the sensation felt strange, alien to her. But the vision was clear. Piper sleeping in her bed, Piper awake and looking around. Someone had been watching her sister, the same someone who had knocked over the picture.  
"Phoebe!"  
"What?" Phoebe snapped back to attention. Prue was staring down at her, a concerned expression on her face.  
"You're bleeding."  
Phoebe glanced down at her hand. She'd been gripping the frame tightly and her finger had pressed on one of the jagged glass shards still in the frame. A thin line of blood was starting to form on her finger. Before she could wipe it away a tiny drop fell on the picture.  
"Oh no." Phoebe quickly tried to rub it off. But it only smeared more. She stared at the bloody picture for a moment, then swallowed hard as she felt the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. But she couldn't take her eyes off the blood. "Oh god..." She suddenly felt sick. She dropped the picture back on the ground, then jumped to her feet.  
"What did you see?"  
"Huh?" Phoebe had only been half listening to Prue.  
"You had a vision didn't you?" she asked. "What did you see?"  
"Someone was in here," Phoebe said finally trying not to look at the picture. After a moment she picked it up and tossed it into the garbage can.  
"Okay, wait." Prue gave her a confused look. "First of all, that was Piper's, and second-"  
"I'll give her my copy." Phoebe grabbed Prue's hand and led her to the door. Someone had been in that room and she certainly didn't want to be there if he or she made a repeat visit.  
"Where are we going?"  
"To find Piper," Phoebe said. "I think we just found Leo's big danger." She paused to think about that for a moment as she led her sister down the darkened hall. "Actually, I think it found us."


	10. Chapter 9

Piper rolled over slowly, trying to keep her eyes closed. She figured if she could keep them shut long enough then maybe the sun would leave and she could go back to sleep. The previous night had not been the most restful of her life, what with the storm and the visitor from afar. She was ready to make up for it. But she knew that in an hour and a half a very grumpy deliveryman would be standing at the door to her nightclub. And she doubted he'd take her creepy night visitor excuse as a reason for tardiness.  
Piper groaned, wishing that she'd fought harder to sleep in her bed. But her sisters had insisted she be near them even if the floor wasn't exactly the optimal place for a good night's rest. Finally she opened her eyes, squinting in the brightly lit room. It was definitely morning. She blinked for a moment as her eyes focused on the object directly in front of her.  
"Oh, foot in the face, foot in the face!" Her eyes widened as she shoved Phoebe's foot away. She heard a sound from the bed above and then she saw Phoebe peering down at her. Piper sat up in her sleeping bag, frowning at her sister. "I knew you couldn't keep all of your limbs up there."  
"Be glad I didn't roll off completely," Phoebe said, stifling a yawn. "Hey, I offered the bed."  
"No, you offered to let me sleep on it with you," Piper said. "But I know you. You do aerobics in your dreams."  
"I do not!"  
"She's right." Piper heard someone mumble. Suddenly, the blankets popped up on the other side of the bed and Prue stuck her head out from under them. "It's not aerobics. It's more like kick boxing, really vicious kick boxing."  
"With all the demons I gotta practice sometime," Phoebe said. "And I think I'm getting better." Prue scowled at her as she sat up slowly. Brushing her hair out of her face, she stood, then looked down at Piper.  
"Now I remember why I always took the sleeping bag."  
"Here's a question," Piper said. "Why doesn't Phoebe ever take the sleeping bag?"  
"That is an excellent question." Prue looked over at Phoebe who was still tucked comfortably under her blankets. "We've had hundreds of Halliwell sleepovers and not once has Phoebe ever taken the floor."  
"Hey, my bed, my room, my tradition."  
"Well, was it your demon or whatever that caused this whole mess?" Piper glanced up at her. "Because you were kind of hazy on that part last night."  
"Yeah Pheebs, maybe this morning it's time to make with the details." Prue yawned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Sharing a room is fun and all, but I think I bruise too easily."  
"I'm sticking with storm jitters," Piper said, trying not to remember the events of the previous night. Already the image of that woman standing by her bed was beginning to fade. She was more than willing to call it a nightmare.  
"This coming from the girl whose scream made a run at the sound barrier." Phoebe looked down at her. Piper sighed. She should have known that Phoebe would keep pushing the issue.  
"It was a dream." Piper rolled over onto her stomach and closed her eyes. The deliveryman would just have to wait. "I doubt it warrants the full out Wicca mode."  
"It's probably one of the few normal things to happen to her this week," she heard Prue say.  
"Yes, thank you Prue," Piper mumbled, not bothering to open her eyes. "That puts a nice perspective on my few moments of midnight terror."  
"I'm always here to help," Prue said. Piper could hear the door squeal as she opened it and walked out into the hall.  
"Great, next demon we get I'll send him your way!" she called after her. Piper hugged her pillow and tried to go back to sleep. But already she could feel her younger sister's eyes boring into her. Yep, she thought. Pheebs is still worried.  
"Piper that wasn't any nightmare last night," she said finally.  
"And here I thought Prue was the designated worrier."  
"I'm serious," Phoebe pressed on ahead, despite her sister's attitude. "Something was in your room. I saw it."  
"Well go ahead. It's share time now." Piper didn't bother to hide her lack of enthusiasm. "What was it?"  
"I don't know," Phoebe sighed in frustration. "I didn't actually see, you know, it. I just saw you."  
"Me?" Piper opened her eyes again and squinted up at her sister. Phoebe had rolled over and propped her head up on her pillow. Now she was staring down at Piper, a concerned look on her face. Piper hated that look.  
"Yeah. You were sleeping with that cute little frog that Leo gave you, you know the one with the ribbon and-"  
"Okay." Piper stopped her quickly. "And exactly what part of this image set off your demon radar?"  
"I had the premonition for a reason."  
"Yeah, but you didn't really see anything."  
"I saw you," Phoebe insisted.  
"Yes, but in my room, in my own bed, seeing me isn't really that strange."  
"It's just a feeling, okay?" Phoebe sat up abruptly, and Piper could hear the annoyance in her voice. "I mean I know my power isn't all active and exciting like yours, but occasionally it can do some good."  
"I didn't mean that your power-"  
"No, it's okay. You just don't trust me."  
Phoebe stood and grabbed her robe off of the chair. Piper groaned and slowly got to her feet, just in time to intercept her sister on the way out the door. She really didn't feel like getting into this now, but she wasn't about to let Phoebe go away mad. Her sister was worried about her. Piper knew that she'd feel the same way if the situation were reversed.  
"Phoebe, you know that's not true. Of course I trust you." Piper reached out to touch her arm, but Phoebe looked unconvinced. After a moment, Piper glanced down and sighed. "It's just I'd kind of rather have it be a nightmare. Everything's been going so well lately, demon wise. We're kind of in the summer lull here and I'm not really ready to give that up yet." Piper let go of Phoebe and sat back down on the bed. "You like going after the demons. I don't."  
"Piper, I don't like going after the demons," Phoebe said. "But I do like being a witch. And I know sometimes you don't."  
"And this is one of those times." Piper fidgeted nervously, twisting the ring on her finger. Part of her wanted to tell Phoebe everything, but she couldn't quite bring herself to do it. Talking about it was like opening the floodgates, releasing all that sadness again. She wasn't going to do that to herself or to them. She looked up at Phoebe finally, meeting her eyes. "My nightmares don't need to be real."  
"What exactly did you see last night?" Phoebe asked, sitting down next to her. Piper looked at the ground again, trying to avoid Phoebe's curious stare. Her sister had always found this witch stuff interesting. Piper on the other hand found it to be scary and sometimes painful. She just needed to forget the whole thing.  
"I don't remember." She shook her head, then knelt down and started to roll up the sleeping bag.  
"Well I'd say that whatever you saw is the big danger Leo put out the APB on. And I'm guessing that since it chose your room for the party, that it was looking for you." Her sister sounded downright enthusiastic about the whole thing. Piper knew it wouldn't be long before Phoebe clamored up the stairs in search of the Book of Shadows. Piper didn't even look at her as she continued. "Which means we have to do something."  
"No." Piper stood and watched as Phoebe got to her feet also. She handed her the rolled up sleeping bag, which Phoebe promptly tossed on the bed. "I don't have to do anything right now except get to work."  
"But Piper-"  
"Phoebe, listen to me on this one." Piper looked straight at her sister, wanting her to understand. "Whatever was in my room, it wasn't a demon, and it wasn't a warlock, okay? And I doubt it's anything that would earn the Big Danger title that everyone is so fond of throwing around."  
"How can you be so sure?"  
"I just am, all right? Trust me." Piper said. "You and Prue have much better things to do than baby-sit me all night."  
"Aw, but we like babysitting you," Phoebe did her best baby voice, and as much as she tried not to smile, Piper couldn't help it. She broke into a grin as Phoebe reached out to hug her. "We just want to make sure you're okay."  
"I know."  
"Because we love you."  
"Yeah." Piper laughed a little. "I know that too." But as she closed her eyes the image of the woman suddenly reappeared in her mind. She tried to push it out, but she couldn't. For just a second she was back in her bedroom and the woman was standing there, her cold eyes staring straight into Piper.  
"Are you sure you're okay?"  
The image disappeared as she heard Phoebe's voice.  
"I'm fine." Piper opened her eyes as her sister let go of her. She nodded as if to reassure Phoebe, but more and more she knew that she was only trying to reassure herself. "Every-everything's fine."  
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"I already told you to look in the Book," Prue said, lowering her voice as she passed through the hallway. She quickly moved her cell phone from one ear to the other, trying to avoid the weird stares from her coworkers. The hall was filled with people and Prue was not exactly inconspicuous. "Look, I really have to go."  
"This is an emergency, Prue!" Phoebe said. "Something's after Piper. She knows it, but she won't do anything. She's taken a one way trip to denial land."  
"Nothing is after Piper," Prue insisted as she slipped into one of the conference rooms. "And besides that, I already learned your definition of emergency yesterday. And it didn't seem very emergent!"  
Prue glanced around, checking to make sure that the room was empty. She wasn't even supposed to be in the building, but her editor had called her back to talk to her about a photo shoot. Of course, she could always count on Phoebe to make her late for that.  
"Well, we've got to do something."  
"Phoebe, Piper's an adult who can freeze things at will." Prue was beginning to lose patience with her youngest sister. Now she knew what Piper had been complaining about all through their breakfast. "Look outside. It's broad daylight, and hey, she's awake. So I think we're safe for now."  
"We're never safe," Phoebe said. "I thought you knew that by now."  
Prue's eyes widened as she heard the door open behind her. She turned slowly just in time to see her very angry boss, Mr. Corso, standing in the doorway.  
"Thanks for reminding me," she muttered. She abruptly flipped the phone shut and lowered it back into her purse. She smiled nervously at her boss, but he didn't smile back. Instead he looked from her, to his watch, then back to her again.  
"You're late."  
"But I'm here," Prue said a little too quickly. "In the building. Just not in your office."  
"Yes, well next time give me the heads up, and we can do another little goose chase," he said. "I just love searching the building for my photographers. Gives me that nice mouse in the maze feeling."  
"I'm sorry."  
"I know. You always are." Mr. Corso's tone turned a little gentler as he took a seat at the table, then nodded for her to do the same. He slapped a file folder down, then opened it, flipping through the various papers inside. "Another family emergency?"  
"Something like that," Prue admitted. "But it's taken care of. And I sit here ready for my assignment."  
"Then here it is." The man pulled an article out of the folder and slid it her way. "A church over in Marin is rededicating their community center."  
"A community center?" Prue couldn't quite hide her disappointment.  
"It's brand new and will house their expanded theater facilities," he said. "Their theater used to be run by Faith Evans."  
Prue's head jerked up as the name registered in her brain. But if her boss noticed her added attention, he didn't show it. He simply continued on.  
"You might remember the story. She was killed last year in some weird altercation with a priest."  
"Yeah." Prue swallowed hard as her mouth went dry. "I heard something about that."  
"Anyway, the church members say she was some kind of miracle worker, helping the sick, feeding the hungry, you know a perfect member of the church." He nodded towards the paper he'd given her. "They're dedicating the new facility in her honor. I thought you might get some good shots for the article. Maybe you could even talk to a few people, get the scoop off the record."  
"But I'm not a reporter."  
"You are today, Prue." Mr. Corso leaned over and smiled at her. "And this is quite the story. A perfectly nice woman, beloved by everyone in her church, attacks a priest then ends up dead. The information on who killed her is never released, and the church continues to cherish this woman, even as their priest leaves the congregation."  
"You sound like you could write the story yourself."  
"Well, I've got to admit, I'm curious. A mysterious murder at a church right before Christmas..." The man sat back and folded his hands. "What more could you ask for?"  
Prue didn't have an answer for that. She just looked at her boss, trying to match his smile. But inside she felt nauseous. Glancing down at the file, she saw a small black and white picture of the dead woman, Faith Evans. Someone had paper clipped it to one of the articles. Prue sucked in her breath, trying not to make her anxiety obvious. But she couldn't help it. Now, six months later, she was going back to the scene of the crime……….


	11. Chapter 10

Phoebe heard Piper before she could see her. She quickly finished attaching the lion's mane to one child's costume, before turning towards the gym door. Piper had somehow managed to prop it open with her foot as she juggled the groceries Phoebe had asked her to bring. But now she couldn't get through the doorway and she was muttering angrily under her breath, as the bags threatened to slip from her arms.  
"Okay, help now." Piper caught sight of her sister as she peered over the food piled high in the bags.  
"I said some snacks, not every snack in the state." Phoebe rushed over and grabbed the food that was spilling around her. Then she took two of the bags from her sister, glancing at the groceries inside. Finally Piper could push her way through the door.  
"Well I didn't know how much the kids wanted." Piper followed Phoebe over to the stage, where the students quickly mobbed them. There was a sudden whirlwind of activity and the next thing Phoebe knew the bags were empty. She glanced around as the kids disappeared behind the stage without so much as a thank you. Then she looked back at Piper who simply shrugged.  
"Okay then." Phoebe clasped her hands together. "That's taken care of. So how'd the delivery go?"  
"Wonderful." Piper brushed the hair out of her eyes in one quick motion, obviously irritated. "The delivery man brought the wrong thing and a whole lot of it. Now instead of lemon, people will be squeezing pickle juice into their water."  
"What?"  
"Don't worry," she sighed. "I made him take it back, but not before a very long lecture on the pros and cons of waking someone up in the morning for a delivery of one hundred and fifty jars of pickles!"  
"What was on the pro's side of that little list?"  
"The fact that I let him walk away on both legs."  
"Wow." Phoebe grimaced. Obviously today was not a good day to mess with Piper. She would have to keep that in mind. "You really woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."  
"Or maybe it was the fact that I didn't wake up in a bed at all." Piper gave her a tight smile.  
"Okay then, wrong side of the floor," Phoebe corrected herself.  
"Whatever," Piper said. "I'm done worrying about it." She pushed herself up onto the stage then sat there, legs dangling, waiting expectantly. Phoebe watched her for a second, wondering if she was going to be dealing with cranky Piper or normal Piper today. She wasn't quite sure. There was a long pause, before Piper leaned forward. "Phoebe, you still with me?"  
"What?" Phoebe snapped back to attention.  
"Well, you wanted me here. You're supposed to be the director right?" Piper said with a small smile. "So come on, direct."  
"All right," Phoebe grinned at her sister's small show of enthusiasm. She'd piled the scripts on the edge of the stage, and she grabbed for one, handing it over to Piper. The script was considerably fatter than the previous day, and Piper eyed Phoebe as she tested its weight in her hands.  
"Did the story get longer?"  
"I did a few revisions." She saw Piper's skeptical look. "You know, just to modernize it. So most of your scenes will be with Danny over there, otherwise known as Head Winged Monkey guy. He's a little shy, and a little too grown up in some ways but…"  
"Phoebe, you've added ten or twenty pages here." Piper flipped through the script, her eyes skimming over sections of it. She glanced up at her sister after a moment, reading the directions Phoebe had typed out. "The Wicked Witch and Dorothy have heart to heart about what it's like to be a woman in a male dominated world?"  
"Hey, it's the new millennium."  
"And yet there's a reason why they call it a classic." Piper rolled her eyes as she hopped down from the stage.  
"Are you the director?" Phoebe shook her head then pointed an authoritative finger at her. "No. You are the actor." She turned Piper, pushing her in the direction of Danny's dressing room. "So go, make me proud."  
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Danny peeked between his dressing room curtains, watching anxiously as Piper approached. There was something about her. He didn't know what it was, but for some reason he knew she was special. And she was coming his way.  
"Hey." Piper stopped in front of his dressing room as Danny stepped out. She smiled and stuck out her hand. "I'm Piper, remember? I'll be your Wicked Witch for the day."  
"I'm Danny." He took her hand and shook it, holding it a little longer than he had meant to. But Piper didn't seem to notice. Still, he could feel his face growing red as he finally let go of her hand. He quickly turned back into his dressing room and grabbed the script from his table. He glanced from the pages to her, trying to ignore the strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Jason, the scarecrow boy, would call it a crush. But somehow it was more than that. It was a connection.  
Danny smiled back at Piper. "So where do you want to start?"  
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As the steeple came into view, Prue felt every muscle in her body grow tense. The church looked different in the daylight and now a much bigger and much more modern building dwarfed the old theater. She could still remember driving down the very same street six months ago, frantically trying to get to her sisters. She had been late. For once she had put work as her top priority and that decision had led to disastrous results. It was no wonder she was always rushing off whenever Phoebe called her. Family came first. She had learned that the hard way.  
And Piper... She was never quite sure how Piper had felt after that night. Prue had never been able to ask. She wasn't sure if it was her own guilt or concern for her sister that kept her from bringing it up. But either way they had never really talked about it, not since they'd found Piper in that horrible storm. Somehow she had always imagined that if she just let it go, then Piper might heal, and maybe just maybe, Prue would be able to forgive herself. But that forgiveness still hadn't come and she could feel the guilt creeping up on her as she stared at the building.  
Finally, she shook her head, trying to rid herself of those horrible memories. But she only managed to push them into the back of her mind. There would be no erasing them. Still, she was on an assignment. As she pulled into the parking space she kept reminding herself of that. It was the only thing that prevented her from putting the car in reverse and speeding away.  
Prue took a deep breath as she stepped out the door. She only hoped that she wouldn't be recognized. There had been a lot of confusion that night, she remembered, and Inspector Morris had done a pretty good job of keeping them out of it. Prue bit her lip as she stood on the steps of the community center. After a moment's hesitation, she pulled the door open. She was about to find out just how good a job Darryl had done.  
Once inside, she was greeted by an older woman, whose cheerful expression only made Prue more nervous. As she approached, the woman stuck out her hand and Prue shook it tentatively. The woman stared at her through her thick glasses and looked far too eager to meet her. Prue was ready to turn around and walk out the door, but she knew that she had to face the situation sooner or later. She just wished that she didn't have to face it with the grinning woman shaking her hand.  
"You must be Prue," the woman said quickly. "I'm Ida Harris. We're so glad you're here. We didn't really think there'd be such an interest in the new Faith Evans community center."  
"Well, there is," Prue said, trying to smile. _This is probably my punishment for not being there _she thought, pretending to be interested in the woman Piper accidentally killed. If there was a hell, Prue figured she'd found it.  
"Yes, yes of course." The woman nodded, then gave Prue a sly smile. "But I guess we both know that this probably has more to do with Faith's death than the new community center."  
Prue felt her heart fall into her stomach, and she tried not to show her sudden panic. Already Ida had brought up the one thing that Prue did not want to hear about. She started to unpack her camera abruptly, hoping that the woman would change the subject.  
"You know you should probably do the story on Faith anyway. The theater is just a way of letting people talk about her without being morbid," Ida continued. Prue bit her lip. _Look who's being morbid now_. But Ida just kept smiling. "Everybody wants to know about her. She was such a sweet woman."  
"I'm sure she was," Prue mumbled, trying to focus her camera. "But really I think I should be…"  
"She was our theater director, you know," the woman cut her off as she led Prue out of the lobby and further into the building. "She worked here for quite a few years, running the plays and such. She led the Christmas pageant every year..." Ida slowed and gave Prue a meaningful look. "Except for this last one of course. It showed a week after she died. That was the last time we used the old theater."  
Prue nodded, brushing the hair back behind her ears. She didn't know what to say, so she let the woman ramble on, as they continued their way through the building. Somehow they had completely bypassed the actual theater and then they were at the end of the hall. Just as Prue was about to turn around, Ida shoved open the exit door.  
"Here, let me show you what the first theater looks like," she said as she stepped out the door. Just beyond her Prue saw the old building with its dark brick walls and flattened roof. She paused in the doorway, staring at the theater. It looked much less menacing in the daylight. But it still brought back memories that Prue didn't want to think about. They were facing the back wall, and she could still see Piper huddled there in the rain. "Come on, you'll get a much better appreciation for the new theater if you have something to compare it to."  
"I really don't think..." Prue shook her head slowly, still staring at the building. "I mean I probably shouldn't waste your time like this. I'm sure you're very busy."  
"Nonsense." Ida grinned at her, then grabbed her arm and led her down the long walkway that curved around towards the entrance. "Besides this will give us more time to talk."  
"Oh good." Prue tried to sound excited as the woman pulled her along.  
"You want to see it, don't you?" She gave Prue a conspiratorial look. They were fast approaching the front door that she'd entered that night. "The place where Faith died, you want to see it."  
"Actually, no," Prue said, surprised at how creepy this tour was becoming. Everyone seemed to have this strange curiosity about Faith Evans, everyone except her that was. "I don't really think I need to... you know... It just seems wrong."  
"That's a first." The woman seemed taken aback. "Every reporter and photographer from here to Bakersfield wants to see this place. No matter though. Nothing looks the same. It's mostly empty since they'll be tearing it down next month."  
"Seems like a good idea," Prue said, gently pulling her arm from Ida's iron grasp. She breathed a sigh of relief as they turned away from the old theater and headed back towards the community center.  
"Yeah, well, our new priest certainly didn't want to see it." Ida shook her head as they walked across the pavement. "Poor man. He came in under such strange circumstances. "  
"It must have been hard," Prue said. She'd nearly forgotten about the priest. And now that the woman brought it up, she felt the slightest tinge of curiosity herself. She had never discussed any of this with her sisters, and now that they had passed the unpleasant details of Faith's death, Prue felt herself wanting to know more, wanting to understand why things had happened the way that they did. "So, um, did anyone ever figure out why she attacked him?"  
"No," the woman said. "But Faith paid for it, poor woman. She paid with her life."  
"And no one is sure how she died?" Prue had to know, just to be safe.  
"They say that the priest must have done it, you know, after she stabbed him," Ida explained. "But I saw the man when they wheeled him out. There's no way he could have done it." The woman moved closer to Prue, nearly stepping on her feet as they walked. She dropped her voice, glancing around to make sure they were alone. "No, someone else was there that night. I can guarantee you of that."  
Prue pretended not to hear that last part as they made their way across the grass.


	12. Chapter 11

"Phoebe, what the hell is this?" Piper came marching over to the stage and stood next to her sister, script in hand. She held it out for Phoebe to read, then jerked the pages back before she could even glance in their direction. Piper stared at the words herself, seemingly unable to believe what she saw. "What have you done to this play?"  
"Creative license," her sister said. She glanced over Piper's shoulder, trying to see which section her sister was reading.  
"Creative license is when you change a few names or even costumes." Piper cast a sideways glance at her. "Something I wouldn't have a problem with, by the way."  
"Forget it." Phoebe pointed at her. Piper wasn't getting off that easy. "You are not changing that costume."  
"Okay, well here's something else I won't do." Piper looked at the script. "I will not hug Dorothy at the end and tell her I'm so very sorry for stealing her shoes then beg her forgiveness. I'm supposed to be wicked remember?"  
_Oh yes,_ Phoebe thought, _I remember_. Piper was sure being moody today and Phoebe was starting to wonder if she should have recruited someone else for this role. Sending her sister off to work with small children might not have been the greatest idea. But Phoebe had no real choice.  
"I'm just trying to give a better name to witches everywhere," she explained finally.  
"Well this witch wants to stick with the original story," Piper whispered handing her the script. "Will you please fix it?"  
"Fine," Phoebe sighed. "I'll work on it."  
"Good, work fast." Piper picked up Phoebe's clipboard from the stage and handed it to her sister. "We rehearse that act in half an hour."  
Piper looked downright scary as she crossed her arms. Phoebe was just about ready to fire Piper and send her home for a nap. Sure, she would feel bad about it, but it was probably the safest bet for all of them, most of all for Phoebe, herself. But then suddenly, Piper broke into a huge grin. Phoebe stared at her in confusion.  
"So, am I a convincing enough witch for you?" Piper asked finally. Phoebe's eyes widened. Wow, her sister was good. Phoebe was ready to hand over the Oscar.  
"You are getting way too into this."  
"I know." Piper gave her a sheepish grin. "It's scary isn't it?'  
"Oh yes, but I won't complain." Phoebe put her arm around Piper. "Now, if only you could get Prue to embrace the same spirit."  
"Oh no." Piper removed Phoebe's arm from her shoulder, shaking her head. "Prue is your department." She smiled at Phoebe as she turned back to her dressing room. "And by the way, you have fun with that."  
"Oh, I'm sure I will."   
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"Late, how late?" Phoebe gripped the cell phone a little bit tighter as Jason rushed towards her. She jumped aside at the last minute and barely managed to get out of his way before he leapt onto the stage. She shot him a nasty look, but he ignored her. "Prue, I've got a whole bunch of kids waiting for a Dorothy to lead them to the wizard. And in case you've forgotten, you are that Dorothy."  
"No, see because I 'm stuck with some crazy lady who has led me through all three buildings of this church without letting me take a single picture!" Prue sounded exasperated. Phoebe had to hold the phone away from her ear as she walked around the back of the stage. "It's like I point the camera and suddenly her big face is there telling me another story about Faith Evans."  
"Faith Evans?" Phoebe halted mid step, then lowered herself into a chair. She glanced around to make sure that she was alone. Then she dropped her voice to a whisper. "Thee Faith Evans?"   
"Yes." Prue sighed. "I know. Look I didn't ask for this, okay? But it wasn't like I could tell my boss that one of my main goals in life was to never step foot in this place again."  
"Well I certainly wouldn't tell Piper where you spent your day."   
"Oh god no," Prue said quickly. "Never. But listen Pheebs, I've got to go. I think Ida found me."  
"Who?"   
"Never mind. With any luck I'll be out of here in ten minutes."  
"All right, but you'd…" Phoebe stopped abruptly as she heard a click on the other end of the line. She lowered the phone and looked at it for a moment. Prue had hung up on her. That figured.   
Phoebe flipped the phone closed and sat back in the chair, enjoying her break. Out on stage, the munchkins were perfecting their welcome speeches and she thought she heard the tin man stuttering through his lines nearby. Phoebe closed her eyes. Everything was going great, unless of course she counted that whole Faith Evans thing.  
As much as she'd tried, Phoebe had never forgotten that woman. Her mind wouldn't let her. But somehow she'd always believed that they'd never be forced to revisit that problem. Still, she should have known better. There was no escaping what had happened. And just the mere mention of Faith was enough to sour her mood.  
She knew how Prue felt about it. She'd talked to her that night, listened to her cry and blame herself for everything that had happened. And at the same time Phoebe had hidden her fury, her anger at Prue for putting her auction above them and for nearly getting her killed. And then there was the sadness and pain that she carried for Piper. Phoebe had felt it every time that she'd looked at her sister. But those feelings had long since subsided. Prue was all right, Phoebe was all right, and even Piper... she was pretty sure that Piper was all right now too. But still it was always there, hanging between them at each new vanquishing. They all realized the importance of their duties, but more than anything they realized the importance of protecting each other. Faith had taught them that.   
Hopefully, Prue could keep this one assignment to herself. If Piper found out... Phoebe sighed. Piper couldn't find out. They'd sworn that they'd never mention Faith Evans again and Phoebe certainly wasn't going to be the one to break that promise.  
"Phoebe!"   
"Now what?" she mumbled, opening her eyes. She waited there, unmoving, listening for the next yell. But instead she heard a loud thud from the wings. Jumping to her feet, Phoebe ran up the backstage stairs, pushing through the curtain.  
"Oh, oh no!" Her eyes widened as she saw Danny tackle Jason. The two rolled across the stage, causing the munchkins to scatter in all directions. There were a few shrieks as they ran into the supports for the rainbows. The huge plywood arc started to wobble and Phoebe hurried over to steady it.  
"What is going on?" Piper appeared from the opposite wing. She grabbed the other side of the rainbow, then glanced from the two boys to Phoebe. "Shouldn't you be doing something?" she asked. "You're in charge!"  
"Oh." Phoebe had nearly forgotten with all the excitement. "Good point."  
"Any day now." Piper nodded towards the boys as they knocked over two of the prop trees. "While we still have a set for the play."  
"Hey!" Phoebe ran over just as Jason punched Danny in the face. Phoebe winced, as the younger boy recoiled. But Jason hit him again, knocking him flat on his back.  
"Okay, enough with the adolescent hijinx!" Phoebe grabbed for Jason as he bent down for another shot at Danny. "You're too young for this macho- Ow!" Phoebe felt the wind being knocked out of her as Jason's elbow met with her stomach. Then he dove for the other boy, pinning him back on the stage.  
"Oh, are you okay?" Piper rushed over to her, glaring at Jason. Phoebe nodded, trying to get a little air back into her lungs. She waved her hands at Piper, unable to talk. "What?" Piper looked sideways from her to the boys. Then her eyebrows shot up in understanding. "Oh, right!"  
She turned, and motioned at the boys with her hands. The entire gym froze. Jason was halted in mid punch and the fleeing munchkins had paused in various positions all over the stage. In the back corner, the tin man had buried his face in the script as if the words might magically leap to his brain. But even he was frozen now. Phoebe watched as Piper pressed her hands together, surveying the room with a smile.  
"I always forget about that."  
"With that power," Phoebe was finally able to speak. "You really ought to think about a teaching career."  
"Yeah." Piper stared down at the boys. "Right. I think I'll just leave them to you."  
"Maybe law enforcement," Phoebe continued, a grin spreading across her face. "I bet you'd make a great prison guard."   
"Okay, I get it," Piper scowled at her, then motioned towards Danny and Jason. "What were they fighting over anyway?"  
"They're kids, boy kids." Phoebe shrugged. "Do they really need a reason?"  
"Well these two seem particularly vicious towards each other."  
"Jason's been picking on him," Phoebe said. "And I'm thinking Danny has this tiny crush on you."  
"Me?" Piper's eyes widened in horror. "Oh that figures. Like I haven't had enough guy problems to last me the millennium."  
This was true, Phoebe knew. Her main entertainment this year had been watching Piper's ever so long decision between Leo and Dan. For the past few months that's all anyone had heard about. Finally, Leo had won out, and Piper was happy to have only one guy in her life, Phoebe was sure of that. But that certainly didn't make her sister immune to a schoolboy's crush.  
"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Phoebe said, looking down at Danny. "I don't think Leo's going to feel very threatened."   
"Oh, god." Piper grimaced, bringing her hands to her face. "I should've known when I got the googley eyes."  
"You got the googley eyes and you didn't suspect anything?"   
"Okay, well it's been awhile since I got the googley eyes." Piper pointed at Danny, narrowing her eyes at her sister. "And you made him the Head Winged Monkey guy?"  
Phoebe glanced down at the ground as Piper crossed her arms bitterly. Okay, so maybe Piper wasn't taking it as well as she'd hoped. She leaned down a little so that Phoebe was forced to look at her.  
"Is it too late to change parts?" she asked. "I told you I should have been Dorothy!"  
"Hey, hey, hey!" Phoebe held up one finger to silence her sister. There would be no role swapping in her play. "You can't blame this on me! You're like the weird guy magnet. Let's talk history... Warlock, ghost, whitelighter……."  
"Okay, fine." Piper stopped her before Phoebe could pull out her entire romantic history as a witch. "Let's just get these two separated."  
"Fine, but you can deal with Danny boy."  
"All right, but you get Jason." She gave her a tight smile as Phoebe wrinkled her nose. Piper moved over to the other side of the boys, just as the world came back into motion.  
"That'll be enough of that!" Phoebe grabbed Jason's wrists, pulling him to his feet as the boy struggled against her. Danny just lay there, holding his hand to his face. Already bruises were starting to form.  
"You gonna cry now?" Jason demanded.  
"You-to the corner!" Phoebe pointed him towards the wings. Jason rolled his eyes, then turned around and slowly made his way across the stage. "Oh, and I can see that face you're making right now!"  
"If Demons Inc. is looking for new recruits, we'd better watch out," Piper muttered. "That kid's got a definite in."  
"Yep." Phoebe nodded, then cast a sideways glance at Danny who was slowly getting up. Piper pressed her lips together, shooting Phoebe a look as she reached down to help him.  
"You okay?"  
"I didn't start it." Danny glanced down at the ground. When he finally tilted his head up Phoebe saw the blood coming from his nose and lip.  
"Oh, ouch, I think you'd better clean that up." Phoebe touched his face with one hand, then looked over his head at her sister. "Piper, you want to take him to the bathroom?"  
Piper's eyes narrowed and she shook her head at Phoebe. She mouthed a great big _no_ as she glared at her sister. But as soon as Danny glanced back at her, she froze, plastering a quick smile on her face.   
"Okie dokie," she said quickly. "Why don't we just go do that now?"  
"I can do it myself," Danny said, his voice less than convincing.  
"No, no, Piper'll take you." Phoebe grinned at her sister. She was feeling quite devious today. "Won't you Piper?"  
"Of course," she said sweetly. But as she walked away she turned and scowled at Phoebe.  
"You two have fun!" Phoebe smiled and waved. She tried not to laugh as Piper sighed and led Danny to the bathroom. She knew she was going to pay for this later. But right now she could just enjoy the moment.

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Prue could feel the relief sweeping over her as Ida disappeared through the door. They had finally woven through the rest of the community center and reached the new theater. She glanced around the huge room, taking it all in. It really was a beautiful building. The orchestra section alone could hold two hundred people. It looked nothing like the old theater. Maybe that was the point. There were to be no reminders of the old theater and its previous director. But, secretly, everyone around there hadn't forgotten. Ida's tour had proven that.  
Prue wandered down the middle aisle towards the stage, then stopped and focused her camera. The familiar snap of the shutter put her a little more at ease. But, still she couldn't get rid of that feeling. Another few pictures and she'd call it a day. Then she could put this church and all of its stories behind her. If her editor didn't like it then that was too bad.  
"Miss Halliwell!" Prue tried not to groan as she heard Ida's voice. She took another picture, then lowered her camera and glanced over at the woman. She was leading a young man who seemed rather unhappy to be there. He was dressed in a tattered flannel shirt and a ripped pair of jeans. He stared down at the ground, even as the two approached Prue. "This is Harold." Ida pushed the man forward. "He's from the shelter next door."  
"Oh," Prue nodded unsure of what to say next. Finally she stuck her hand out. He took it and shook it gently. "I'm Prue Halliwell, photographer for 415 magazines."  
"Nice to meet you," he mumbled.  
"I thought you might like to talk to Harold," Ida spoke quickly, folding her hands together in enthusiasm. "He's one of our resident miracles."  
"A miracle?" Prue smiled, trying to make the poor man more comfortable. "Haven't met too many of those."  
"He got hit by a car last year, nearly died," Ida explained. "He probably would have too, if it hadn't been for Faith. One of her friends happened to be there. He put his hands right on Harold here, and healed him, good as new." Ida glanced over at the man, waiting for him to say something. "Isn't that true, Harold?"  
"It's true," he said nervously, wringing the hat that he held in his hands. "I saw the light."  
"Light?" Prue bit her lip, trying to hide her worried expression.  
"From his hands," Harold said. "I think he was an angel."  
"Lots of folks thought Faith was a messenger," Ida said. "She could makes things happen. She'd give people a special drink and suddenly they'd feel better. But this guy, he was a real angel." Ida's eyes widened in excitement. "I've never seen anything like it."  
"This guy, no one knew who he was?'  
"Nope," Ida said. "He always just sort of appeared."   
Prue nodded, trying to ignore the one word her mind seemed to be screaming. Whitelighter... Faith had needed a whitelighter. So she had been good. Prue suddenly felt the need to sit down in one of the theater seats.  
"Anyway, I thought you might like to take Harold's picture," Ida was saying. "You know for your story."  
Prue didn't even look at her. All she could think of was that picture of Faith, the one she had found in the folder. Faith had been good. She had been helping people. And they had killed her.


	13. Chapter 12

Danny hopped up onto the bathroom counter, his eyes avoiding the mirror. Blood freaked him out and the sight of the stuff pouring from his nose was enough to send him to the floor. He was probably the only kid in his class who had fainted during their science lab. Jason had been there too and had spread it across the entire school by lunch. Danny gritted his teeth at the thought of it, then quickly took the paper towel that Piper handed him. He pressed it to his face and tried not to wince at the sting.  
"Looks like he really got you, huh?" Piper was trying to be nice, he could tell. But she didn't want to be there. He couldn't really blame her. Standing in the bathroom with some bloodied kid probably wasn't anyone's idea of fun.  
Danny sighed and dropped the first paper towel into the trash. Piper gave him another one as he tried to push away his feelings of humiliation. At the very least he had wanted to get a shot at Jason before the fight had been stopped. But he hadn't gotten the chance. And that angered him more than anything else.  
"Jason's a jerk," Danny said finally. "No one really likes him."  
"I guess I can understand that." Piper said sympathetically. She handed him a third paper towel, then clasped her hands together. "So, um, what were you guys fighting about?"  
"Nothing." Danny said. "He was just saying stuff."  
"He must have been saying some not so nice stuff." Piper smiled. "You did a pretty good job of tackling him."  
"Yeah." Danny couldn't help but grin at himself. He'd had the upper hand in the fight, if only for a few seconds. "I guess... Did you see him slide across the floor?"  
"Uh-huh." Piper laughed. "Right before he took out Munchkinland."  
"He deserved it though." Danny jumped off the counter. He pivoted back towards the mirror and stared at Piper's reflection. But as he turned on the faucet he caught sight of the blood running off of his hands. Danny closed his eyes, trying to push back the nausea. "I should've hit him harder."  
"Why?" Piper seemed curious as he opened his eyes and turned off the water. She stood there, arms crossed, her back leaning against the counter. "What 'd Jason say?"  
"Just stuff." Danny shrugged, hoping Piper would leave it alone. But she wasn't about to. He could already read the determined expression on her face.  
"What stuff?"  
"Stuff about you, okay?" He grabbed for the paper towels to wipe off his hands. But as he started to walk out of the bathroom, she stepped in front of him. He rolled his eyes and looked up at her. "Fine." He exhaled quickly. "He said you really must be the Wicked Witch because you were so mean to everyone, and that he didn't know why anyone liked you. And then he called you the Wicked B-"  
"Oh, okay," Piper interrupted him quickly. "Got the picture. Don't need to hear the rest."  
"See?" Danny stared up at her. "I told you he was a jerk."  
"All right, I won't be too quick to disagree with you there."  
Danny could tell that she hated Jason as much as he did and that made him like her all the more. He smiled at her as she opened the door for him. He knew Jason was wrong about Piper. And he'd get him back later. Piper was his friend, and he wasn't going to let anybody say stuff like that about her.  
"I should have hit him harder, huh?" He glanced back at her as he walked out the door. Piper nodded, letting just the slightest smile play across her lips.  
"Maybe just a little."  
"All right guys, we're going to try this-without Dorothy." Phoebe ignored the various groans from her cast. "Don't' worry, she'll be here soon." And if she wasn't then Phoebe was going to kill her. That's all there was to it.  
"Why can't Cassie play Dorothy?" the tin man demanded.  
"'Cause Cassie doesn't want to," Phoebe lowered her voice. "Remember that big loud 'No' you heard the second day of practice?" The tin man nodded, and Phoebe leaned over towards him. "That's what Cassie thought of the idea."  
"Oh." He crossed his arms. "What about Maria?"  
"No, okay?" Phoebe tried to give him her most authoritative look. She knew that if she let her guard down these kids would eat her alive. That was the one lesson the teacher had drilled in her mind before getting called off to a conference which was suspiciously located in Hawaii. "We will have a Dorothy in half an hour. Until then, I can read her lines. Problem solved."  
"Um, Phoebe-" she heard the lion over in the back of the group.  
"I know, I know. I'm a lousy Dorothy."  
"No, it's just that..." The lion's voice trailed off and Phoebe watched as his face got a little bit paler. He was staring at something behind her. Phoebe turned slowly, a sinking feeling in her stomach. What else could make this day any worse? Her eyes widened as she got her answer. Phoebe bit her lip.  
"Oh."  
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Piper was really going to kill her this time. Phoebe had done plenty of meddling in her life, but setting her up with this kid was a new personal best for her. Piper was trying to be nice to Danny. She didn't want to hurt his feelings. But she also didn't want to see those googley eyes, at least not from anyone but Leo; and certainly not from anyone who couldn't even get a driver's permit. And yet she'd seen them just a second ago in the bathroom. Piper sighed. Well if she could just hold out until the old Wicked Witch returned, she could get away without hurting the boy.  
Piper glanced over at Danny as they walked back into the gym. But for once he wasn't even looking at her. He seemed lost in his own little world, a world that apparently didn't include Piper. _Well, that's certainly a step in the right direction,_ she thought. But for some reason the expression on his face scared her. There was determination in that look, mixed with a little hurt and embarrassment. But then there was also an anger that Piper hadn't noticed before.  
"Danny, you okay?"  
The boy glanced up at her, then turned his attention back towards the stage. Piper watched as his expression moved from anger to surprise.  
"Look." He pointed over to a huge clump of students. Piper turned, trying to see what everyone was so interested in. She could hear the children shouting, but Jason's voice seemed to be the loudest. And then finally she understood.  
"Oh my..." She cocked her head to one side, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her brain. But no, everyone else was seeing the same thing that she was. Up on the stage, his toes at least six feet off the ground, was Jason. He was levitating.

Sorry this chapter's short, I'll make up for it next time. Actually, I'll just give ya two this time.


	14. Chapter 13

"What do I do?" Jason shouted to Phoebe. _I have no idea,_ she thought, staring up at him in utter confusion. She'd seen a lot of things, but never a floating child, at least not without a demon present. She glanced over at Piper, who had come up beside her. Piper just shrugged and leaned over towards her, keeping her eyes up on Jason.  
"Maybe you should cast him as the Wicked Witch," she whispered. "He's got the flying thing down."  
"Piper!" Phoebe smacked her in the side, then whirled around.  
All of the kids had gathered on the stage and were watching Jason intently. The tin man was standing under him and seemed determined to find the strings that were holding the boy in the air. But Phoebe knew that there were no strings. And in about thirty seconds everyone else in the room was going to know the same thing. She gave Piper a desperate look, and was suddenly very grateful that she'd brought her into the play. Piper's presence could be useful in so many ways. Her sister sighed, then threw out her hands.  
"You know, I should get paid by the time freeze," she muttered.  
"All right, but before you collect your check can we please figure out how to get this kid down?"  
"Maybe it would help to know how he got up."  
"That would be good too."  
"Maybe nastiness makes you lighter," Piper offered, squinting up at Jason. "Or maybe we've got a mini-demon in the making up there."  
"A demon who gives himself up in front of twenty kids and two witches?" Phoebe rose her eyebrows. "If that's their intelligence level, then I'm guessing his species is on its way out."  
"Okay." Piper pushed her hair out of her eyes as she considered their problem. Finally, she crossed her arms and looked over at Phoebe. "Once the freeze wears off, I say we just pull him down."  
"Do you think that'll work?" Phoebe said.  
"Wouldn't know." Piper gave her a small smile. "But unless that teacher gave you an instruction manual on how to deal with flying children, I'd say that's our only option."  
"Seeing your point."  
"And if he gets all demony and sprouts horns or something, I'll freeze him and you'll finally get the chance to kickbox his butt into oblivion."  
"Sounds like a plan," Phoebe said, wishing that Prue would get there already. Sure the power of three probably wouldn't be necessary. But it was a nice back-up solution.  
"Okay then." Piper nodded and grabbed for a foot, readying herself. "I swear this should get me out of that stupid conical hat." She glanced over at Phoebe. "I betcha Prue would look good in a harness."  
"Not gonna happen," Phoebe said. "But if you get me through the rest of this play you'll get the privilege of my admiration."  
"Will that buy me new shoes?"  
"We'll see." Phoebe grabbed Jason's other leg. If this didn't work she had considered turning in her director's chair. She'd had enough weird occurrences in her life. Add in one more, and things were going to get hectic.  
Piper bit her lip, the looked from Jason to Phoebe.  
"So if he turns out to be a demon, the play's off right?"  
Phoebe just glared at her.  
And then the time freeze wore off. Phoebe could hear the kids shouting again and the tin man blinked at them. He put his hands on his hips, his hat nearly falling off as he marched over to Phoebe.  
"Hey, you weren't there before!"  
Phoebe didn't bother to answer. Instead she pulled as hard as she could on Jason's high tops. A moment later he was close enough to the ground for her to tug on his sleeve. And then finally his shoes were touching the stage. Phoebe let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Jason glanced from her to Piper, obviously confused, not that Phoebe could blame him.  
"What happened?" he demanded. "What did you do?"  
"That was a great trick Jason," Phoebe said just loudly enough for all the other kids to hear. "But I think you're better off on the ground for now."  
"But it wasn't-"  
"Sure it was." Piper put one hand behind his back and gently shoved him away from the group. He sat down on a stool in the corner and Piper bent down until she was right at his eye level. "That was a wonderful trick that we're not going to mention again-ever."  
"But-"  
Phoebe couldn't help but smile as Piper shook her head at him. Jason quickly shut his mouth and she wandered back to the group. The kids stared at her expectantly, waiting for an explanation.  
"Just a little, uh, demonstration, of the..." She glanced over at Phoebe, raising her eyebrows.  
"Flying technique," Phoebe filled in. "Jason was just trying to show us how the Wicked Witch was going to look, uh, when she was flying."  
"But he just looked stupid!" The tin man said. Phoebe's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't quite expected the kids to openly criticize Jason. The boy seemed the type to hold a grudge. "Anyone could tell he wasn't really flying!"  
"He was the ugliest witch I've ever seen!" The munchkin mayor laughed. Phoebe had always known that the other kids hated Jason. But she hadn't realized how much. The munchkin had a nasty sneer on his face as he glanced over at Jason. "I'd stick with your sister, Phoebe!"  
Piper smiled, leaning towards Phoebe. "I like them better already."  
"Jason's just a loser!" Danny said, stepping towards the front of the group.  
"Hey!" Phoebe pointed a finger at him. This was getting out of hand. She could see the pure hatred in Danny's eyes and the way the kids were lining up behind him made her wonder if she was in for a riot. "We don't-"  
"Who are you calling a loser?" Jason jumped up, glaring at Danny.  
"Oh no, wait!" Phoebe saw him start to ball up his fists as he marched back towards Jason. Hell with the Wizard of Oz, she thought, I should have done a western. The two boys approached center stage slowly, sizing each other up. Phoebe hastily moved in between them. "No fighting. Big no to the fighting."  
"Everyone hates you!" Danny pushed past Phoebe and Piper. Phoebe watched as Jason's face started to burn. She couldn't believe Danny. He was about to get knocked on his butt for the second time that day. He was a slow learner, a sweet kid, but a very slow learner.  
"All right guys." Phoebe held her hands out. "That's enough. Stage yes, boxing ring no. Maybe we should repeat that..."  
"You're just a stupid little wimp!" Jason took a few more steps forward. And then a grin crept onto his face. Phoebe winced as she realized what was coming. "A stupid wimp who's in love with the Wicked Witch!"  
Out of the corner of her eye, Phoebe saw Piper blush, then look to the side. Danny's face went white and Jason's grin seemed to grow. Everything was still, and all the kids were quiet. It was eerie, almost as if Piper had frozen them all again. Phoebe glanced around, just to make sure that she hadn't.  
"Shut up!" Danny's eyes seemed to get darker as she watched. This can't be good, Phoebe thought. But aside from physically pulling them away from each other, there wasn't much she could do. And Phoebe didn't exactly relish the thought of another elbow in her stomach.  
"Stupid little wimp!" Jason just kept on grinning.  
And then suddenly a gust of wind swept through the gym. As her hair blew away from her face, Phoebe glanced over at Piper, seeing her sister's puzzled expression. A second, stronger gust hit moments later and she watched as the prop trees started to sway.  
"What the hell?" Piper whirled around as the wind caused ripples to move through the curtain. A few of the kids shrieked and as Phoebe turned her head upward she saw that the rainbow was starting to fall.  
"Oh god..." The kids had seen it and were rushing to get out of its way. But Piper was still standing there in utter confusion. "Look out!"  
Phoebe dove towards her sister, shoving her out of the way. She could hear the support beams cracking and then the rainbow came down, slapping the stage so hard that the entire thing shook. Phoebe waited a few seconds, then slowly lifted her head, pushing herself to her knees. She had landed on top of her sister. Piper groaned as the dust settled around them.  
"That's it," she said as she lay on her back. "I quit."  
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Phoebe stood, then held out a hand to her sister. As soon as they were both on their feet they were forced to steady themselves. The wind wasn't letting up and Phoebe twisted around, searching for its source. But none of the doors were open, and all of the windows had been closed since the spring. The wind wasn't coming from anywhere.  
"What the hell kind of play are you running here?" Piper grabbed Phoebe's arm as another huge gust threatened to knock her over.  
"I don't know." Phoebe watched as the props flew across stage. A few of the plywood trees that they had nailed down remained in position, but the rest piled up against the Munchkinland set. Phoebe could feel the wind picking up, even as they stood there. "We weren't supposed to have a tornado until scene three..."  
"Phoebe, we weren't supposed to have a tornado at all!" Piper gritted her teeth. "You wrote it out of the script!"  
"Okay, but now's really not the time for your writing critique." Phoebe stopped, watching the back curtain lift off the stage. And with that Munchkinland was swept away. It flew under the curtain and slid across the backstage, taking out a table piled high with more props. "And besides, I told you that the tornado was way too expensive!"  
"Not when we get a real one for free!" Piper gave her an incredulous look as the set hit the end of the stage and crashed to the floor.  
"All right, fine, you win," Phoebe said, gesturing towards the airborne props. "The tornado is back in the play!"  
"So what do we do now?"  
"I'm thinking evacuation!" Phoebe had to yell now as the wind swirled around them. She was starting to get a little bit freaked. Demons and warlocks were one thing, unexplainable weather was a whole other story. Meteorology certainly wasn't her forte.  
"You take the right half of the room. I'll take the left."  
"Fine, whatever." Piper turned, struggling against the wind. Phoebe watched as she jumped off the stage, then got blown a few steps to the left. Piper turned around to glare at her, but Phoebe just sighed. She looked down at the rainbow as it slowly scraped across the stage. Suddenly a stuffed dog flew past her and Phoebe jumped. She watched as the flying ball of fur hit the wall, then fell to the ground.  
"Ooh." Phoebe pursed her lips together. "Good bye Toto."  
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"Anybody in here?" Piper tried several times to push her way into one of the dressing rooms. But each attempt was foiled easily by the sheets that billowed up around her.  
"This is ridiculous!" she muttered under her breath. She spun around, trying to escape the mesh of flapping fabric. Finally the sheets blew high enough so that she was able to duck under them. She was in.  
Piper took a deep breath and glanced around, steeling herself for the next strange occurrence. This had certainly been the week for them. It was bad enough that some kid had a crush on her. Now Phoebe's play had become all too real. When Piper had wanted the tornado back in, she'd pictured a nice little fan, not mass set destruction.  
Piper whirled around, holding out her hands as the sheet came up and whipped her in the face. She gritted her teeth and ducked down, trying to get out of its way. Those sheets could be dangerous in the wind. The sting she felt across her cheek was proof of that.  
"Hello?" Piper looked around, shouting over the constant wind. But the little room, or what was left of it seeing that it had no walls, was empty. Piper was just about to crawl out again when she saw the makeup on the dressing room table take off. She threw herself to the floor as the face paint container flew by her head.  
"Okay then, no more tornadoes for Piper," she mumbled as the rest of the makeup went airborne. She waited for it to clear the room before pushing herself up off the ground. She could hear Phoebe yelling to the kids somewhere inside the gym. But the voices were nearly blocked out by the howling wind. It's getting worse, Piper thought. How can it be getting worse?  
Piper crouched there, not daring to take on the flapping sheets again, at least not yet. But then she saw several pairs of Nikes run by. The kids were still shrieking. And then the wind blew the toppled set into the wall. It hit with such force that it broke into pieces. The sharp jagged splinters took off in the air and Piper watched in horror as the children dove to the floor. Even Phoebe was trying to take cover as she motioned for them to hurry along.  
"Okay, gotta get the kids." Piper took a deep breath as she crawled towards the sheets. "Gotta get out of here."  
She shrieked as the long piece of fabric flew back at her. Piper reached out, trying to grab it, trying to keep it from whipping around again. But then as she finally caught it in her hand, Piper heard a strange creaking noise from above. She turned her head up and saw that the room's wooden frame was leaning precariously in the wind.  
"Oh my," Piper mumbled. She tried to crawl out, but she wasn't fast enough and the entire room collapsed around her. Piper closed her eyes, and flattened herself against the floor waiting for one of the two by fours to smack her unconscious. But by some miracle the frame fell down around her, burying her under a pile of sheets. Piper lay there for a moment, completely still, unsure of whether it was safe to get up.  
"Phoebe, I'm going to kill you." Piper could still hear the commotion around her. "I am going to absolutely-"  
"Piper?"  
Piper opened her eyes and glanced around. But for a moment all she saw was the dark fabric surrounding her. Then suddenly she realized that someone else was trapped there. She hastily got to her hands and knees, pushing the sheets up and off of her. The wind lifted them high into the air and they swirled up to the ceiling as Piper watched. Then she spun around and blinked at the person crouching beside her.  
"Leo?" Her eyes widened in surprise. "What are you doing here?"  
"I was just orbing in and-" Leo glanced around, holding up his hand against the wind. Piper could read the stunned expression on his face and she was pretty sure she had a matching one of her own. "I was coming here to tell you more about..."  
"The Big Danger?" Piper's surprise turned to annoyance as her wind-whipped hair flew into her face. "Well, I think we found it. Now what the hell is it?"  
"Obviously something supernatural." Leo yelled as he stood. He turned quickly to help Piper up and she gratefully accepted the hand he held out to her. She glanced around as she got up, marveling at the madness.  
"You think this is supernatural?" Piper gestured to the debris that was flying around them. "And here I thought the weather man goofed!"  
"Well. I was coming to warn you about the Vargo demons," Leo said. He grabbed Piper's arm, latching onto her as she nearly lost her balance. Piper was pretty sure he'd think twice before orbing into this gym again. "That was the danger."  
"Okay, well do they have some sort of weird weather power we should know about?" Piper asked. "Because this tornado thing could get kinda old!"  
"They have lots of different powers," Leo said as he looked around. Piper winced as the wind made her eyes sting. The gym had pretty much emptied out, except for Phoebe and the last few kids she was ushering towards the door. Piper quickly pulled Leo in her sister's direction.  
"You really think this is coming from some demon?"  
"This is way beyond what they could do," Leo insisted. "It's too strong. It's got to be feeding off something, anger or fear maybe. I don't know."  
"All right, I've heard that expression way too many times today!" Piper yelled. Her patience was wearing thin and it didn't help that the wind was tugging at her, trying to pull her into the air. "Leo we already have enough questions. But we're running seriously short of answers here."  
They were forced to stop in the middle of the gym as the two by fours came flying by. Piper shrieked and jumped back as one soared past her, a few inches in front of her face. Leo caught her before she could fall over, and Piper gasped. Things were getting worse. Even the heavier objects were starting to lift off the ground. Chairs and tables were skidding across the floor under the force of the wind and she knew it wouldn't be long before they too were picked up.  
"We have to get out of here," Leo said.  
"I'm right there with you."  
Even with everything that was happening she felt some reassurance having him there, and not just because he was keeping her feet firmly planted on the ground. There was always something comforting about having her whitelighter with her, even if he wasn't a whole lot of help at the moment.  
"Phoebe!"  
Piper whirled around and saw Jason tearing through the gym. Danny was only a few steps behind him and together they struggled towards the door. Piper watched them run, but suddenly realized that the flying two by fours were going to cut them off first.  
"Get down!" Phoebe yelled. But the boys didn't seem to hear her. They were too far away. Piper closed her eyes and turned towards Leo, unable to watch. But some instinct caused her to throw out her hands and just at that moment everything fell silent. Ever so slowly, Piper opened her eyes. The wind had stopped.  
"Oh." She looked back at Leo, then quickly unfroze him. Together they surveyed the gym in amazement. "Didn't know I could do that."  
"You can't," Leo said. Piper could already see what he meant. The two by fours were shaking, as if under some immense amount of pressure. "The power's too strong. You can't freeze-"  
"Oh! Oh no!" Piper and Leo ran towards the boys as the whole room unfroze once again. Piper could hear Phoebe yelling as she tackled Danny around the legs. Leo grabbed Jason and they all fell to the floor in one large heap. The wood whistled over them and cut through the gym wall, burying itself a foot deep in the plaster. Piper looked over at Danny and saw the utter amazement on his face. Jason was struggling to get up, but Leo pulled him back to the floor.  
"Piper!" The wind had forced Phoebe to her knees and now she was crawling over to them. "We have to get out-"  
And then just like that everything stopped. Piper's hair fell into her face and she threw her arms up as the debris rained down around them. There were a number of crashing sounds as the heavier objects hit the floor and then the sheets slowly drifted down, landing only a few feet away.  
Piper lifted her head slowly, brushing her hair out of her eyes. The wind had ceased as quickly as it had come. The room looked more like a trash dump than a gym, but aside from that there was no sign that the mini-tornado had ever existed. The air was completely still, and the whole scene was almost eerie. The room's remaining occupants stared at each other in total confusion.  
"Is it gone?" Phoebe stood slowly, checking herself over as she did.  
"I think so." Leo got to his feet, pulling the boys up with him. Then he looked down at Piper, ready to help her up again. But she shook her head, unwilling to move as she lay there on her stomach.  
"No, that's okay. This is like the fourth time today my body has met with the ground." Piper groaned. She could already feel new bruises forming over the old ones. She was going to be very sore, she could already tell. "I think I'll just stay down here awhile."  
"Are you guys all right?" Phoebe came over to them. Then she seemed to remember the boys. She cast a sideways glance at Piper and Leo, then smiled at the kids. "Wow, that was some draft. I wonder who left the door open."  
Piper dropped her head to the ground and hid her face in her hands. She tried not to smile at her sister's sad attempt at hiding the truth. Poor Phoebe, she was trying to make the best of it, she really was. But this whole thing was utter and complete madness.  
"Hello?" Another voice echoed through the gym. Piper looked up and saw Prue pushing open the door. "Anyone home?"  
Piper finally stood as Prue took a few steps inside, her jaw dropping. She turned in a circle, examining the damage. There were props and pieces of set scattered all over the floor. A large portion of Munchkinland had found its way to the top of the bleachers and only two of the eight dressing rooms were still standing. Prue's eyes were wide with surprise as she glanced over at her sisters.  
"What the hell happened?" she asked. "It looks like a tornado touched down in here!"  
Piper bit her lip to keep from giggling as Prue approached. Her fear had quickly subsided knowing that it was over and everyone was okay. Now the whole thing seemed funny, strange yes, but also funny. Phoebe's face broke into a grin and she went over and put her arm around Prue's shoulder. Then she turned to look at the stage and what was left of the set.  
"Well Dorothy, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."  
"I can't believe you just said that." Piper started laughing as Phoebe put her other arm around her.  
"Well, someone had to."  
"Okay, but what happened?" Prue asked, trying to be serious.  
"Phoebe decided to put the tornado back into the play." Piper cast a sideways glance at her younger sister. "You did a good job by the way."  
"Thank you." Phoebe nodded. "It did seem authentic."  
"Oh yes." Piper watched as the last of the prop trees swayed then fell to the ground. "Yes, it did."  
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Danny watched them all, trying to listen to what they were saying. But his mind was still focused on the wind that had ripped through the gym. It had been so strong, so powerful, and Danny had done it. He'd lost control, and just like that it had happened.  
Danny swallowed hard, as his eyes were drawn to the two by fours planted deep in the wall. One of those had nearly gone through him. I almost killed myself, Danny thought. If it hadn't been for Piper... But she'd saved him. Danny looked from her to Jason, still feeling that twinge of anger. It had been Jason's fault. It was always his fault. Danny resisted the urge to lash out at him, to send the other boy flying. But he knew he couldn't risk it, not now, in front of everybody else. He couldn't get caught.  
"You all right?" Phoebe asked, glancing over in his direction. Danny nodded, his shock giving way to exhilaration. He turned slowly, surveying the gym. Almost everything his uncle had built had come crashing down around them. I did this, Danny thought. I made this happen. It was an amazing feeling. And even though he felt bad about all the destruction, a small part of him couldn't hide his excitement. He had harnessed something within himself, something he'd never even realized was there. This went way beyond casting spells and scaring Jason. His anger had triggered something deep, something wonderful.


	15. Chapter 14

"If this is a taste of Phoebe Theater remind me to cancel my tickets," Prue said as she climbed up the stairs to the wings. She reached down and picked up the last of the dressing room's sheets. The debris had shredded some of them, and she tossed those to Phoebe who stood at the edge of the stage, trash bag in hand. "Aside from the amazing special effects, I think it might be a little bit dangerous."  
"Hey, at least you escaped the fun-filled experience," Piper said, putting the prop trees back on their stands. She stood and dusted off her hands, then moved over to the other corner to pick through the things they had managed to save. Luckily, much of the set for the later scenes had remained intact. But Piper was beginning to believe that this was one show that wasn't meant to go on.  
"Okay fine," Phoebe said, frowning at them. She tossed the trash bag off of the stage and into the pile of wood pieces that they'd collected. "If we're all going to flack on Phoebe's creative endeavors, then why don't we at least think of a way to clean this place up. I've got a final dress rehearsal tomorrow."  
"Whoa, hold on, wait a second here." Piper held up her hands, unable to believe what she was hearing. "We have levitating children and indoor twisters and you're worried about the dress rehearsal?"  
"Hey, I've got parents with pre-purchased tickets!"  
"Okay, now did you see the levitating child?" Piper said. "Because I think that might give them a greater cause for concern."  
"She's right Phoebe," Prue said, tossing another piece of wood off the stage and into the pile. "I mean until we figure out what happened here we can't really put these kids at risk. Someone could've been killed today."  
"Sure, side with the practical sister." Phoebe sighed, then sat down next to what remained of her munchkin village. She looked horribly disappointed, and as Piper glanced over at Prue they shared a look of sympathy. As much trouble as the play had been, they both knew it meant a lot to Phoebe. She'd worked so hard on it. And suddenly Piper's concerns were replaced by an overwhelming need to see her sister happy. She went over and sat next to Phoebe, trying to think of some way they could help.  
"Maybe we can continue the rehearsals somewhere else," she said. "I mean there are lots of other schools."  
"But whatever is happening could follow us there," Prue reminded them. She always has to be the cautious one, Piper thought, shooting her a nasty look. At this point, Prue wasn't helping. "I'm just trying to be realistic."  
"Well then, stop trying so hard," Piper said. "I'm sure we can figure out some way. Maybe if all _three_ of us are here tomorrow..." She raised her eyebrows at Prue. "And we can check the Book of Shadows to see what we find."  
"And what happens if it starts raining inside or lightening takes out the stage?" Prue asked. Piper sighed and rolled her eyes. Prue knew her role as the nay-sayer, the one who kept them in line. And she didn't abandon it easily. "Don't we already have enough things to explain?"  
"Yeah, well just think of it as practice," Piper said. "We're going to have this problem for the rest of our lives. We might as well get used to it."  
"All right," Phoebe laid back on the stage, staring up into the long row of lights above her. Piper watched as she closed her eyes for a moment. If anybody could find a way to keep this play on track, Phoebe could. She certainly wasn't the most organized person, but she knew how to get things done, and she knew how to get them done quickly. "We just need to find a new place for the play, get a few new props, and put the dressing rooms up again."  
"Exactly."  
"I just keep coming back to the 'what the hell happened here' question." Prue came over and sat beside her sisters. "I mean none of this makes any sense. Leo and the Vargo demons, tornadoes in the gym. Where is all of this coming from?"  
Piper sighed. She hated that Prue always had to be so responsible. She needed to remind everyone that there was some danger lurking out there, as if they didn't know that already. For once, she wished her sister could just let it go for a second and give Phoebe a chance to sort everything out. Of course they needed to find out what had happened, but this wasn't exactly the time.  
"Let's just go home and look in the book," Piper said. "It's the only thing we can do. I mean, unless anyone's got a better idea."  
"I got nada here," Phoebe said, still looking up at the ceiling. "I just wanted to direct a play. That's all I wanted."  
"And you'll get to." Piper grabbed her hand, hating to see her so very depressed. Phoebe finally smiled. Even if it was a little smile, at least it was something.  
"Will you still be my Wicked Witch?"  
"What do you think?" Piper smiled back at her.  
"I think you're one of the two bestest sisters in the world." Phoebe grinned. "And I promise not to encourage Danny anymore."  
"Danny?" Prue looked from Phoebe to Piper. "Who's Danny?"  
"He's a guy who likes Piper," Phoebe giggled.  
"Another one?"  
"Relax Prue." Piper patted her on the shoulder. "He's eleven. But you know I could probably set you up with him if you'd like."  
"Funny." Prue rolled her eyes. "Real funny."

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"So, a night out together, alone." Piper smiled across the table at Leo. She unfolded her napkin and set it in her lap, then glanced around the fancy restaurant. They'd chosen Italian tonight. But Piper really didn't care about the food. She was much more interested in the company. "A girl could get used to this."  
"I know, I'm sorry I've been so busy lately." He reached across the table and poured some wine into her glass.  
"Busy?" Piper said. "You almost didn't make it. I had three guys offering to buy me drinks, and after half an hour I seriously considered taking them up on their offers."  
Piper smiled but didn't get any reaction from Leo. He tore off a piece of bread then buttered it slowly. He seemed distracted. His mind was obviously elsewhere, and considering that lately they hadn't had a whole lot of time together, Piper felt a little bit hurt. She had assumed he'd be happy to see her. But he'd been acting funky ever since they'd sat down.  
"So, um, where'd you go after our blustery day?" she asked, trying to ignore her disappointment. She really had been looking forward to this evening. From what she had noticed so far about him, it seemed clear that he hadn't.  
"I had to go check on some stuff."  
"Evil stuff?"  
"Pretty much." He leaned back in his chair, then glanced around, looking for a waiter. He didn't meet her eyes as they sat there, and Piper was beginning to recognize his expression. He was hiding something from her. This was never a good sign. It usually meant that either an evil creature was about to come after them or he was leaving again. Piper sighed and decided to cut straight to the point.  
"Okay, what's wrong?"  
"What?" Leo acted as if he didn't hear her. But Piper just rolled her eyes. She knew him too well to fall for that.  
"Come on, it's obvious something's bothering you," she said. "You haven't been here at all. If you didn't want to come-"  
"No, Piper it's not that," he said quickly. His eyes widened as he finally looked at her. He suddenly seemed worried that he'd offended her in some way. "It's not that at all."  
"Then what is it?" she asked. "I'm starting to feel like I'm the only one at this table. And let me remind you that this dinner was your idea."  
"I know," he said. "And I'm sorry. It's just that Phoebe-"  
"Phoebe?" Piper was horrified to hear her sister's name mentioned. Whenever Phoebe got involved, she knew she was in trouble. Leo had discussed their relationship with Phoebe before, and that was when he'd been trying to break up with her. Piper steeled herself for the bad news as she stared across the table at him. "You've been talking to Phoebe?"  
"No." Leo said. It was obvious he didn't want to continue. Piper glared at him though and he finally relented. "Phoebe was talking to me actually."  
"Oh great," Piper said, letting her face fall into her hands. Her sister had the biggest mouth in San Francisco. And now she'd been talking to Leo? Oh this can't be good, Piper thought. Finally she got up the nerve to glance back at the whitelighter. "Do I even want to know what she said? Oh god, it wasn't anything about the play was it?"  
"No, it was about last night." Leo sighed, averting his eyes. Piper watched him for a second, trying to guess what her sister had said. Had Phoebe told him about their conversation, about all of her relationship worries? Piper swallowed hard, remembering how she'd discussed having children with Leo. She couldn't help but blush a little as he looked back at her.  
"Um, what did Phoebe tell you, exactly? Because you know I was kind of tired when we talked and-"  
"Oh, it wasn't anything you said," Leo reassured her. "It was about her premonition. She was worried about you, Piper. She wanted to know if I knew anything about it."  
"Her premonition..." It took Piper a moment to understand what he was talking about.  
"You know, the thing that was stalking you last night?" Leo said, obviously trying to jog her memory. "I was trying to figure out what it was. That's why I was late."  
"And?"  
"And I didn't find out anything."  
"See, just like I told her. It was a nightmare," Piper insisted. She couldn't believe Phoebe had talked about that, and to Leo of all people. He was protective enough as it was. Of course it was better than what she'd imagined her sister might say. At least we're not here talking about our future children, she thought.  
"Piper." Leo seemed to be waiting for her to say something else.  
"What?"  
"There's nothing you want to tell me about this?"  
"Nope." She shook her head as she rearranged her silverware, ever conscious of his stare.  
"Come on. We both know Phoebe doesn't have her premonitions at random," Leo said. "If she thinks someone's after you, then she's probably right."  
"She's not," Piper said firmly. "Not about this."  
The waiter came then with their dinner, and Piper was grateful for the interruption. This was the last thing she'd wanted to discuss on their date. She'd tried very hard not to think about what had happened, and she'd succeeded for most of the day. Now, with Leo bringing it up again, the image of that woman crept back into her mind...and her son, he was there too. Piper let her fork fall onto her plate as she thought about the little boy. There was no telling where he was now. And she was the one who had taken his mother from him. Piper shivered, then closed her eyes, trying to get control of herself.  
"You okay?"  
"Yes," Piper said. "I'm fine. Just tired that's all. It's kind of been a long day."  
"I noticed." Leo smiled. But this time Piper didn't smile back. Instead she picked at her pasta. But she wasn't really hungry anymore. "Look, I'm sorry if I upset you. I was just worried that's all."  
"I know." Piper sighed. "I just don't want to talk about that."  
"Okay, consider it dropped."  
"Good." Piper took a sip of her wine. It was time to start this date over again. She tried to smile, then forced herself to take a few bites of her pasta. "So do you have to go back tonight?"  
"Unfortunately," Leo said. "A whitelighter's work is never done."  
"Well, neither is a witch's," Piper said. "Phoebe's got me back in her play tomorrow. You might want to stop by, you know, check out the weather conditions."  
"I might just do that." Leo laughed. "I heard you'll be flying tomorrow. I wouldn't want to miss it."  
Piper grimaced, nearly choking on her spaghetti. She coughed, then took a quick sip of her wine, her eyes widening as Leo grinned at her.  
"She told you about that too?"  
"She might have mentioned it."  
"That's it." Piper nodded, a sly smile playing across her lips. "Tomorrow she dies."  
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	16. Chapter 15

"Okay, we're confirmed." Phoebe pressed the off button on the cordless phone, the set it back on the receiver. Stepping over to the counter, she picked up her dinner plate, then brought it over to the kitchen table. "Danny's Uncle is going to come in and help us clean up tomorrow. I tried calling other schools to see if I could use their gym, but…." "They all asked what happened to the last one." Prue looked up from her photos as Phoebe sat down next to her.  
"Exactly," Phoebe bit into a carrot stick. "And I wasn't really sure what to say."

"Yeah, well you might want to come up with something in case this happens again." Prue said as she methodically flipped through the rest of her photos. Phoebe glanced over at them, then realized they were from the theater at the church. She looked away with a shudder as Prue continued. "You're going to have to tell those parents something, you know."  
"Hey, I'm still shooting for a demon free play." Phoebe pointed the remainder of her carrot stick at Prue. "Can't the dark side ever give it a rest?"  
"Well, if they did we'd have normal lives." Prue set her pictures aside and grabbed Phoebe's fork. She stabbed at a tomato, even as her sister tried to push her hand away. "And then we'd never have this much fun."  
"Normal lives..." Phoebe sighed. It'd been quite a while since she'd even considered having one of those. She'd always enjoyed being a witch, probably more so than either of her sisters. But there were always times when it brought more bad than good. "What do you suppose that would be like?"  
"I don't know. Ask Piper." Prue speared another piece of tomato. Phoebe narrowed her eyes at her, but Prue was hardly paying attention. "She's out on a date with Leo, actually experiencing this thing we call a social life, while we're here-"  
"Discussing demons." Phoebe nodded, finally stealing her fork back from Prue. "I guess nothing ever changes. Do you ever get the feeling that she has more fun than us?"  
"Well, yeah." Prue shrugged as if it was obvious. "I mean she's got the nightclub and the boyfriend."  
"And the lousy memories..." Phoebe picked up the pictures that Prue had set down. She flipped through them slowly, landing on the one of the old community center. She sometimes forgot that normal people didn't have the same types of problems. If Piper wanted a more normal life, Phoebe couldn't really blame her. "Maybe she deserves to have fun," Phoebe said. "I mean she's had some pretty harsh things happen to her since we got our powers."  
"We all have, Phoebe," Prue said. "I mean your death in the future, her death from Arroyo fever..."  
"You losing Andy..." Phoebe nodded knowing that what her sister said was true. But it didn't make it any easier. "Okay, so we've all been through a lot."  
"But we're fine now." Prue took the pictures back from her and put them face down on the table. Phoebe could tell she'd been thinking about everything that had happened. "We can't worry about the past."  
"All right, I'll go with you on that." Phoebe nibbled at her salad. "But what did you find out about Faith Evans?"  
"Phoebe..."  
"Oh come on, Prue. I'm curious, it's natural." She looked down at her plate, trying to ignore Prue's stare. Instead she moved some of her lettuce around, mixing it with the salad dressing. Her voice dropped a little as she thought back to that night. "I mean we kill someone, I'd kind of like to know more about her."  
"Hey." Prue reached across the table and squeezed Phoebe's hand. "We didn't kill anyone."  
"Fine, back to the company line." Phoebe pushed her plate away. She'd lost her appetite. "But that still doesn't change the fact that I want to know what you found out."  
Now it was Prue's turn to look down at the table. She bit her lip, and Phoebe knew she was trying to decide how much she should say. But Phoebe wanted all of it. Anything Prue knew, she deserved to know too.  
"What did you find out?"  
"She was a witch," Prue said. Her voice was so quiet that Phoebe had to lean closer to hear her.  
"Okay, but we knew that already."  
"No, Phoebe." Prue finally looked up at her. "She was a good witch, like us."  
"What?"  
"She was a good witch. She helped people."  
Phoebe stared at her. Whatever she had been expecting to hear, that wasn't it. She blinked, unable to believe what her sister was saying. There was simply no way. They would have known. Somewhere along the way there had to be some greater power that would have stopped them. Good witches weren't meant to kill other good witches. It just didn't happen.  
"That's impossible." Phoebe grabbed her plate back, and stabbed at her salad again. She refused to believe what Prue was telling her. She had to be wrong. "I saw her. She was killing a priest."  
"Maybe." Prue had no explanations to give, even now, when Phoebe wanted one so desperately. "I don't know. Maybe she turned bad right at the end. But before that she was making potions and casting spells to help people."  
"How can you be sure?"  
"Because I talked to the people she helped." Prue leaned across the table. "I mean there were dozens of them, all lining up to tell me their story."  
"They knew what she was?" Phoebe gripped her fork tighter as her eyes widened.  
"No, they just thought she was giving them a special drink or a few nice words," Prue said. "She even had a whitelighter who saved some guy after a hit and run."  
"Okay, now I know you're wrong," Phoebe said. "Whitelighter can't just do that. Saving someone from a car is pretty different from saving someone hurt by a demon."  
"What, and they never break the rules?" Prue stood and went over to the freezer. "Look at Leo. He saves Piper's life, gets a quick suspension and is back on the job in a matter of months."  
"Yeah, well, I guess some rules are made to be broken."  
"If they weren't then Piper would be dead," Prue said as she grabbed a pint of chocolate chip ice cream. "So I'm not going to complain about some other whitelighter saving people." She opened a drawer and picked up two spoons. Then she came back and sat down across from Phoebe. "I just can't believe we never knew about them."  
"We witches are a secretive bunch." Phoebe pushed her plate away again, and eagerly grabbed for a spoon. If there was one thing she'd picked up in life, it was that ice cream was the absolute best problem food. "It's part of the job description."  
"Well, it obviously has its drawbacks."  
"So Faith was a good witch." Phoebe dug her spoon into the ice cream. "She's dead, and we're to blame for that. It puts this whole play issue into perspective."  
"Phoebe, she was trying to kill you."  
"And instead we killed her." Phoebe stuck a huge spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. For once though, the ice cream wasn't helping any. Now she knew why Prue had wanted to keep this information to herself. They'd done a lot of things since they'd become witches, and now they'd added the murder of another witch to the top of that list. Phoebe glanced over at Prue, who had already swallowed a few spoonfuls herself.  
"And I wasn't there..." she said quietly. She stared down into her bowl for a moment, then glanced up at Phoebe. "I think it's still there in Piper, you know, all that guilt and sadness. I'm not sure it ever went away."  
"But Piper knows that it wasn't her fault."  
"What she knows and what she feels are two different things," Prue said. She took one more scoop of ice cream, then slowly dropped her spoon to the table. "I think she still blames me."  
"She doesn't Prue," Phoebe said, leaning across the table as their eyes finally met. "Neither of us do."  
"Well, maybe _I_ do."  
Silence fell over the room as they both looked at each other. Finally Phoebe smiled a little.  
"You know, I think I'd rather talk about that Vargo demon Leo mentioned."  
"Good idea." Prue seemed to brighten at the thought. Phoebe knew things were bad when they'd rather talk demons than past events. But if that was the way it had to be, then she wasn't going to protest. Demons were better than guilt any day.  
"Book of Shadows?"  
"Book of Shadows." Prue nodded as they both stood. Phoebe followed her sister out of the kitchen, then stopped as Prue suddenly turned around and disappeared back through the door.  
"What?"  
"Forgot this." Prue reappeared holding the spoons and the ice cream container. "I think we're going to need it."  
"Oh, you bet we are."  
Phoebe grabbed her sister's hand and pulled her up the stairs. She was beginning to wonder if they were destined to spend the rest of their lives doing this. Discuss the problems downstairs, then go up to the attic to fix them, back and forth, back and forth, until they finally wore out the staircase. The whole process could get exhausting. She was definitely fonder of the actual vanquishing than the prep work. At least then she felt like she was doing something.  
Phoebe opened the door to the attic then led the way over to the stand that held the Book of Shadows. She picked up the text with both hands, careful not to drop it. It was large and extremely heavy, which really wasn't any surprise since every witch in their line had added to it.  
"All right, so you found this guy in the book last night, right?" Prue sat in the middle of the floor on an old rug as Phoebe gently placed the book down in front of her.  
"Yep." Phoebe sat down next to her, then started leafing through the pages. "They're supposed to gather together and pick a new leader, except we have no idea who that leader might be."  
"The demon who would be king," Prue said, looking over Phoebe's shoulder. "That could be an interesting story for any cocktail party."  
"So I take it that we're supposed to stop the party, vanquish his majesty, and get on with our lives."  
"Sounds good to me." Prue nodded as Phoebe finally came to the right page. She stared down at the words, then leaned forward until her face was only a few inches from the page. But everything was blurry. Even with all of their magic Phoebe still couldn't read without her glasses. "Never mind." Prue pulled the book out from under her nose. "I'll read."  
Phoebe waited for a moment as Prue skimmed over the pages that better described their demon. In a few seconds, she knew Prue would summarize the whole thing in a few sentences. Then, they'd discuss it with Piper when she got home, and they'd do some vanquishing the next day. That was the routine. Phoebe was definitely getting bored with the whole thing. Identify the demon, discuss the demon, kill the demon. That's all they'd done in the past few weeks. Things were almost too easy these days.  
"Okay, well it doesn't say anything about weather disturbances," Prue said. "So I don't know where your little tornado came from."  
"Forget about my directing catastrophe for two minutes." Phoebe stared at the illustration of the ugly looking demon on the opposite page. It had weird fang-like teeth and claws on its hands. "Do you think it always looks like that? Because I think someone would have noticed a convention of those guys at the Marriott."  
"They disguise themselves as humans for starters," Prue explained. "It says here that there's some kind of prophecy. A new leader is supposed to emerge this year and lead them back to greatness."  
"Back to greatness?" Phoebe said. "What, are they like the losers of the demon world?"  
"It seems that they're dying out."  
"Oh darn, witness my sadness."  
"Stop it," Prue hit her lightly then glanced back at the book. "Apparently they are born with their powers, but don't reach full strength until they go up against a witch, sort of a good versus evil thing, to make sure that they're worthy."  
"Well, if they're dying out, then the witches must be winning." Phoebe smiled. "Good for us."  
"Maybe not," Prue said. "If what this says is true then this new leader could be more powerful than anything we've ever been up against."  
"Any idea who the new super demon might be?"  
"It can be anyone, as long as they have some Vargo blood."  
"So they're keeping it all in the family," Phoebe said as Prue's eyes scanned the rest of the section. "I guess that makes sense."  
"Oh." Prue pointed at the last third of the page. She bit her lip, then pulled the book into her lap for a closer examination.  
"What? What does it say?"  
"The witch that the demon is to go up against is chosen by the rest of the Vargo family. And after he has attacked he must then finish the ritual by killing her," Prue read. "The new leader cannot make the choice himself, and if he is not successful on his first attempt he must continue until she is dead. This is a symbol of his strength and loyalty to the Vargo family."  
Phoebe moved closer to Prue and took another look at the demon illustration. She hated to think how exactly they sacrificed their victims. But she had a feeling it involved the big fangs. She grimaced at the thought. That couldn't be a pleasant way to die.  
"So you think they want us for their ritual?" She looked at Prue.  
"One of us anyway."  
"Look at the bright side," Phoebe tried to lighten the mood. Prue looked way too serious for her own good. "At least we're on the guest list for a party. It might not be the most wonderful social life, but it certainly rivals Piper's on the excitement level."  
"Phoebe."  
"I know. I know." Phoebe said. Prue rarely had a sense of humor about this stuff. "Not funny."  
"No, Phoebe think about it." Prue pushed her hair back behind her ears as she turned to face her sister. "It doesn't say anything about who the demon is, or when he'll attack. Now Leo came to warn us about this last night, right?"  
"Yeah." Phoebe nodded, her expression blank. She had no clue where Prue was going with this, but from the sparkle in her sister's eye, Phoebe knew Prue had come up with something. "All right, you win. Go for the big explanation."  
"Last night, Phoebe."  
"Heard you the first time, Prue." She nodded again, waiting for her sister to expand on her theory. But then their eyes met and suddenly Phoebe got it.  
"When someone was in Piper's room," Phoebe finished as the realization hit. "They were after Piper."  
"Why not?" Prue said. "I mean we were together and she was asleep. The perfect target."  
"Oh god." Phoebe shuddered as she thought about what could have happened. "It was in our house, Prue, and we didn't even notice. If she hadn't woken up..."  
"Yeah, I know," Prue said. "But we have bigger problems. It says here that once they pick their target they keep going after her until they succeed."  
"And since the original target was Piper..." Phoebe's eyes widened. The demon was still out there somewhere, stalking her sister. And poor Piper didn't have a clue.  
"We have to warn her." Prue closed the book, as Phoebe leapt to her feet.  
"Oh, phone!" Phoebe dashed out of the attic. "Where's the phone?"


	17. Chapter 16

"I guess I should have expected it." Piper opened the front door then leaned against it allowing Leo to enter. He passed her, then reached back and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the hallway as she closed the door. He was smiling, but she knew he was disappointed. "I'm sorry."  
"Don't be." He reached out and hugged her. She felt horrible about cutting their date short. They had finally begun to enjoy themselves, without any worries. And for just a few minutes Piper had imagined that they were a normal couple. But it was always something. Between her duties fighting demons and warlocks and his duties as a whitelighter there wasn't a whole lot of time for just the two of them. This, among other reasons, was why witches and whitelighters weren't supposed to date. But they had chosen to try anyway, and Piper was determined to make it work.  
"If they don't have a really good reason for calling, I promise to yell at them," Piper said.  
"You know Phoebe wouldn't have bothered if it wasn't important."  
"Yeah, well, what Phoebe thinks is important and what I think is important are usually two very different things." Piper leaned against Leo. Finally, she looked up at him sadly. "So you really have to leave tonight?"  
"Yeah." He nodded as he let go of her. "They want me back."  
"Okay, but you tell them that we want some info down here," Piper said. "All this mysterious danger talk isn't a whole lot of help."  
"I'll send them the message." Leo smiled then moved in to kiss her.  
"Piper!"  
Piper whirled around as Phoebe and Prue came rushing down the stairs. Her sisters had a wonderful knack for ruining a moment. She knew she shouldn't have been surprised though. They had already ruined her date.  
"Oh hey, Leo." Phoebe smiled at the whitelighter as she and Prue stopped right in front of them. "Sorry we had to steal Piper back."  
"It's okay. I'm getting used to it."  
"Well, I'm not." Piper crossed her arms as she turned to regard her sisters. She had spent the entire ride home fuming over the interruption. She was sick of having to rearrange her life around demon catastrophes. "I thought we had an agreement, no demons during our dates. We already have enough problems, what with him disappearing-"  
"Speaking of which..." Phoebe pointed behind her. Piper turned around just in time to see the glimmer of light. Leo waved and then he was gone. Piper dropped her hands to her sides and made a noise of frustration.  
"You know one day, one day soon," she pointed at her sisters "I will get to have a normal ending to a normal date.  
"We're sorry but today's not that day," Prue said. "Something came up."  
"Something always comes up." Piper moved past them and walked into the living room. She threw her purse down on the table and then collapsed onto one of the couches. She laid back and closed her eyes, wishing once more for a regular life. "I just wanted one nice little date, that's all."  
"Piper, you're always out with Leo." Phoebe sat down next to her. Piper opened her eyes and made a face at her, but she knew that Phoebe was right. She watched as her sister reached under the table and pulled out the Book of Shadows. She set it down next to Piper's purse, even as Piper rolled her eyes.  
"Instead of a kiss I get a spell."  
"No, not exactly." Prue moved around to the other side of the table and kneeled down across from her sisters. Piper could tell from her expression that whatever they had called her back for was serious. Piper herself had a reputation for being paranoid and Phoebe got excited about everything. But when Prue got anxious, Piper knew she should worry.  
"What happened?" She sat up, ready to get serious. As much as she complained about it, she never took her duties lightly. They were just as important to her as they were to her sisters. Piper waited as Phoebe flipped through the pages. Neither of them looked at her and this scared Piper all the more. "What'd you guys find?"  
"Well, at Leo's suggestion, we looked up the Vargo demon," Prue explained. Phoebe finally got to the right page and Piper looked over the picture. She'd been through the book a million times but her eyes always went straight to the illustrations. Those were the things that gave her a true idea of what they were up against. The words tended to play down the level of evil for each demon and warlock. The pictures showed it. And this picture frightened her.  
"That's our demon?" Piper squinted at it, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.  
"Unfortunately," Phoebe said. She pointed out the last paragraph. "And see that part about killing the witch? Well we kind of think that the witch they're trying to kill is you."  
"Phoebe!" Prue glared at her.  
"What?" Phoebe looked from Piper to Prue. "I thought, you know, direct, to the point, maybe it'd be easier."  
"Well, try a little tact next time," Prue said as Phoebe fell silent. Then they both turned towards Piper, waiting for her to say something.  
"I guess everyone's after me today..." Piper tried to smile, to turn it into a joke. But no one was joking. Phoebe seemed downright scared and Prue had that sympathetic I-feel-your-pain-look that Piper hated so much. She took a deep breath and sat back farther on the couch, so that she could no longer see the picture as clearly. This wasn't the first time a demon had chosen to pick on her. The whole Wendigo episode came to mind, when she'd basically been changed into a demon herself. But it wasn't like it ever got any easier, no matter how many times they faced these things.  
"At least now we know," Phoebe said quietly.  
"Wait, a minute." Piper sat up again. "Why do you think it's after me? I mean last I checked there were two other witches in the household."  
"Piper, this is what was in your room last night." Phoebe tapped the picture in the book.  
"No, it wasn't," Piper said immediately. They both stared at her, a little surprised at the confidence in her voice. But Piper didn't care. All she felt was relief. They were wrong. She'd seen what had been in her room last night. And Mr. Fangy guy there hadn't been it.  
"Piper, that had to be it," Prue said. "What else could it have been? We all know that something was in there."  
"No, Prue," Piper said quickly. She could feel her relief making way for frustration. They just wouldn't listen to her. And Prue, she thought she knew everything. But this time she didn't. "I think I would have remembered that guy."  
"But he doesn't have to look like that," Phoebe insisted. "They disguise themselves as humans."  
"What I saw last night, it wasn't human, and it wasn't a demon..." At least that part was true, she reminded herself. "It was a dream, a very bad dream, but still a dream."  
Piper grabbed her purse and stood. Stepping over Phoebe's outstretched legs, she started back towards the stairs.  
"Piper, wait!" Prue quickly leapt to her feet. Piper stopped and turned around, trying to ignore the confused look on her face. "What makes you so sure? I mean if you're wrong about this, then death is a pretty likely consequence."  
"This thing is trying to kill you," Phoebe added.  
"No, it's not," Piper insisted. "Trust me on this one."  
"But it's real," Prue said. "Otherwise, Leo wouldn't have warned us about it."  
Piper sighed. But there was no way to explain it. Maybe it really had been a dream, just some terrible nightmare. But until she was sure, she wasn't going to mention it.  
"Guys look, nothing is going to kill me." Piper stood on the bottom step, holding onto the banister. She could tell that they didn't believe her. I wouldn't even believe me, Piper thought. She knew she wasn't a very good liar. But she needed to try. "Aside from a dream and a strong gust of wind, everything's been fine."  
"Oh!" Phoebe jumped in her excitement and Piper knew that she'd thought of more evidence for their theory. "The rainbow! It nearly flattened you today!"  
"You think a demon was trying to kill me with a rainbow?" Piper gave her a skeptical look. That was a stretch, even for Phoebe.  
"Hey, it could happen."  
"I don't think so."  
"Okay, fine, but in the meantime I think you should sleep over again," Phoebe suggested. Piper grimaced, remembering the backache she'd woken up with and the sight of Phoebe's foot hanging down off the bed. That was not an experience she wished to repeat.  
"No thank you." She started up the stairs. "The floor was a one night engagement."  
"Fine then, you can have the bed," Phoebe called after her. "All to yourself. I'll sleep on the floor."  
"Good night Phoebe!" Piper hurried the rest of the way up the steps. She wanted to turn around, to somehow convince them that they didn't have to worry. But she couldn't. They didn't understand. They never would.  
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Danny pulled the blankets up over his head and concentrated on baseball. That's what his mother had always taught him. If he couldn't sleep he should picture himself playing baseball. Sooner or later, by the third or fourth inning he was usually dreaming. But tonight he was already on game three of the World Series and he was still wide-awake. Finally, he tossed off his blankets and glanced around his room, suddenly wishing that the storm would come back. At least with the lightning he had been able to see his walls. Now he couldn't see anything except for a large black void that surrounded him.  
Danny sighed, and scrunched his eyes shut, willing himself to sleep. But all he could see was the look on Jason's face when he'd floated straight off the floor. It had been the perfect revenge. Too bad Jason didn't know who had caused it. If he did, Danny would never be bothered again. No one would mess with him.  
Smiling slightly to himself, Danny reached over and turned on the light that he'd clipped to his headboard. He didn't bother to get out of bed. Instead he lay there, staring up at the ceiling. He wondered if he could do it again, unleash that power as he had before. It was somewhere within him, just waiting for the right trigger. But Danny wasn't sure he could find it a second time.  
Glancing over at his chair, Danny focused his mind. It was so much harder when he tried. His powers came easier when he just let them happen, when his emotions were strongest. And anger, anger was best. He'd lifted his entire bed after a fight with his cousin. Danny sighed, trying to relax. He smiled as the chair finally rose, hovering a few feet off the ground. But then, his bedroom door opened abruptly. Danny lost his focus and the chair fell to the floor, tipping over onto its side. He blinked as light flooded the room.  
"Danny?" His uncle stuck his head in, glancing towards the chair. But then he looked back at his nephew. "Phoebe called. We're going to the school early tomorrow to fix up the gym. So you can come straight from your class."  
"Okay." Danny rolled over, hiding beneath his blankets. He could just make out his uncle through the holes in the fabric.  
"What happened at practice anyway?" He crossed his arms as he leaned against the door. "I heard there was a lot of damage."  
"Things just got a little crazy."  
"Uh-huh," he said, not sounding convinced. He cleared his throat after a moment and Danny could already guess what was coming. "You know, I already told you about your powers and using them in public." His voice held just the slightest tinge of anger. "This has got to stop and it's got to stop now. You're not ready yet."  
"But..."  
"No!" His forceful tone caused Danny to jump. "You'll listen to me now."  
"Okay," Danny said, not wanting to further upset the man. "I'm sorry."  
Uncle Edward nodded and was suddenly calm again. There was even the slightest hint of a smile on his lips.  
"There's a rumor going around that you like one of the girls in the play."  
"What?" Danny sat up suddenly, his eyes widening. Did everyone in the world know about Piper? It just figured. Jason and his big mouth... Now even his family was in on the secret.  
"It's okay, I'm not going to say anything." His uncle grinned. "But point her out tomorrow, okay?"  
"I don't think so," Danny said, shaking his head. Slowly he lowered himself back to his bed. He could just picture himself nodding towards Piper. His uncle would laugh and tell Danny he didn't have a chance. Of course, he'd be right. Piper would never be interested in a kid. She was way too cool for that. Danny would only embarrass himself.  
"All right." His Uncle said, pointing towards the little lamp. "But turn that off soon. You know the rules."  
"Okay." Danny flicked off the light, then rolled over as his uncle shut the door behind him. The boy closed his eyes, but as he did he saw Piper. She'd saved him, even if it was from himself. There had to be some way to get her to like him. It's not fair, Danny thought. He could destroy an entire gym in a matter of moments but he couldn't get Piper to notice him. It's only her age, Danny thought. If she weren't so old...  
Suddenly, an image flashed through his brain, replacing the picture of Piper. It was a page in his book, a page he'd gone past numerous times. His eyes flew open and he jumped up, tripping over a pile of clothing as he made his way to the closet. He fumbled around for his flashlight, then pulled the red book out of his bag. After a few seconds of flipping, Danny finally landed on the correct page. He sucked in his breath, excitement taking over as he pointed the light towards the words.  
"Young at Heart," he read the bold faced letters at the top of the page. It would work, he was certain of it. He could make Piper like him. He had already proven how powerful he was. Now it was time for the ultimate test. If he could do this, he could do anything.  
A sudden burst of wind blew through the room, causing the book pages to move on their own. Danny glanced towards his window, but it was still closed. I'm doing it without even knowing it, he thought gleefully. But then a shiver ran through him as he realized how quiet it was. The room was empty, he knew. Still, for just one moment it didn't feel that way. Danny closed the book quickly and slid it under his pillow. Then he leapt back into bed and pulled the blankets over himself.


	18. Chapter 17

"So how was the date?" Prue asked as she followed Piper into the bathroom. Piper tried to close the door on her, but Prue pushed her way in. Piper sighed and shifted her gaze towards the mirror. She frowned at her appearance, then ran her hands through her tangled hair.  
"It was fine," She cast a sideways glance at her sister. "Right up until the interruption."  
"Yeah, yeah." Prue nudged her aside as she stepped towards the sink. "You'll get over it."  
"I'm sure I will." Piper nodded. "And then I'll go on another date and it'll happen again, and I'll get over that too. Such is my life."  
"You know I think you're beginning to take my place as the downer in the family," Prue said, washing the makeup off of her face. She grabbed a towel and looked over at Piper. It was obvious she was choosing her words carefully. "Phoebe told me you were talking about Mom last night."  
"Can't that girl keep quiet about anything?" Piper shook her head and started to reach for her toothbrush. But then she stopped and glanced over at Prue. "And besides what's wrong with talking about Mom? Phoebe talks about her all the time."  
"There's nothing wrong with it," Prue insisted. "But Phoebe said you sounded kind of depressed."  
"Does anyone ever think to ask me about these things? Or would you all just like to get your information from Phoebe?"  
"Fine," Prue said. "Then you tell me. What's bothering you?"  
"Nothing's bothering me," Piper said, taking the towel from Prue. She turned and hung it up, then opened the medicine cabinet. "I just missed Mom, that's all. I mean I think about her and all the things she could have taught us about. Sometimes I just wish she were here."   
"We all do," Prue said. "But you don't seem to talk about her that much, not since the lake."  
"I know, but lately, I keep thinking about that demon, the one that killed her," Piper said, finally grabbing her toothbrush. She looked around until she found her toothpaste, then closed the cabinet. "I just get this horrible feeling..."  
"Pure hatred?"  
"Exactly," Piper said. It was weird. She hadn't meant to tell her sister about that, but somehow it had come out. Piper was usually the one who could keep her emotions in check. It wasn't like her to be so angry. But she simply couldn't help it. Piper had always assumed that she'd moved past her mother's death. Apparently, she hadn't.  
"It's only natural."   
"I know." Piper stared at Prue in the mirror, remembering the day of the funeral, the look on Prue's face. She knew now why it kept coming up. Prue's image merged with the picture of Faith and her little boy. Piper had been that child's water demon. It had been her fault.  
"You okay?"  
Piper realized that her sister was watching her. She looked at Prue for a moment, thinking about the stormy night at the theater, that moment when her sister had finally arrived. Prue had been late and Piper couldn't understand that. Prue was never late, not for the important things. But she had been late that night.  
"Piper?"  
"I'm fine," she said quickly, glancing down at the floor. Time to change the subject. "Now if Phoebe could just stop worrying everybody. She's got you thinking I'm depressed and Leo thinking that I'm being stalked by demons."  
"You know she could be right about that part." Prue grabbed her own toothbrush, then took the toothpaste straight from Piper's fingers. Piper narrowed her eyebrows, but Prue ignored the look and after a moment put the toothpaste back into her hand. "I mean the whole rainbow thing, it would be a definite first for a member of the demon population. But they've tried everything else."  
"A rainbow?" Piper spread the toothpaste across her toothbrush, then set it back on the counter. "I've never heard of a demon that causes tornadoes just to kill a witch with a plywood rainbow."  
"There's a first time for everything," Prue mumbled. Piper could barely understand her, but she knew what her sister was getting at. Prue, like Phoebe, was still convinced that the Vargo demon was after her.   
"Phoebe just likes to worry." Piper saw Prue's refection nod in agreement. And then Prue grinned, squeezing Piper's arm.  
"But there's nothing more important to worry about."  
Piper couldn't help but smile as Prue wandered out of the bathroom, still brushing her teeth. Piper watched her go, then regarded herself in the mirror. Leo had told them about the Vargo demon, which meant that they were probably already on the demon's hit list. But her sisters were too worried about her to realize that they could be in danger as well.  
Piper sighed and finished brushing her teeth. She wanted to tell Prue. If anybody could understand, it would be her. But she didn't want to upset her sister. One upset Halliwell was enough for the household. _God_, she thought, _secrets suck_.  
A moment later Prue was back in the bathroom. She gently shoved Piper aside and grabbed for a glass, filling it with water. Prue glanced up at her in the mirror and Piper crossed her arms, waiting for her to move. Prue rinsed her mouth out, then turned back to face her.  
"Okay, so here's the thing," Prue said abruptly as she pointed her toothbrush at Piper. "We're worried and even if you're not, just be careful, all right?"  
"Prue.."  
"No, listen to me on this one." Prue set her toothbrush back on the sink. "All jokes aside, this thing is out there. And it wants one of us. You seem to be the likely candidate."  
"Okay, okay." Piper gave in. "I'll be careful."   
"Good." Prue nodded, obviously satisfied. She turned and walked back through the hallway. After a moment, Piper heard her voice once again. "So sleep in Phoebe's room tonight."  
"No!" Piper rolled her eyes as she heard Prue's door shut. With a sigh, Piper grabbed the bathrobe she had draped on the hamper then headed back to her room. But as soon as she got to her doorway she stopped. A huge grin spread across her face as Piper looked down at the floor. There lay Phoebe, curled up in her sleeping bag next to the bed, fast asleep.  
Tiptoeing over to the bed, Piper grabbed a blanket and spread it over her sister. Sweet little Phoebe was going to stay there all night just to make sure that the demon didn't get her. That was pure Phoebe, the youngest in the family, but also fiercely protective. It was one of the many reasons why Piper loved her.  
"Good night Phoebe," she whispered as she kissed her sister on the forehead. Carefully Piper stepped over her and climbed into bed. Then she turned off the lights and hugged her pillow, waiting for sleep to come.

_Piper shrieked as she flew across the room, crashing into the wooden barn that Phoebe had been hiding behind. She found herself staring up at the lighting grid as she lay there, gasping for air. The witch had thrown her with such force that Piper had broken the little structure and now the walls had collapsed outward. She saw them sitting around her as she struggled to get up. But her entire body ached and she dropped to the floor again._  
_ "Piper!" Phoebe knelt over her before realizing that the witch was advancing towards them, the dagger still in hand. As soon as she was close enough Phoebe delivered a vicious kick that caught her off guard. The woman lost her balance and tripped over the miniature fence that had surrounded the animals. Grabbing Piper's hand, Phoebe dragged her to her feet, and then made a mad dash for the wings. But the two never made it._  
_ Piper was a few feet behind Phoebe when she saw her sister jerk to the side. Phoebe flew into the back curtain and Piper whirled around to see the witch staring intently at her._  
_ "You're with him, aren't you?" she demanded as Piper stood there. She wanted to run. But she couldn't leave Phoebe. Piper watched as the woman strode towards her, wondering if the witch was really evil or maybe just crazy. Either way, Piper didn't have an answer to her question. And this seemed to make the witch all the more angry. "I knew there'd be more!"_  
_ Piper tried to back away as the woman came at her. But the same fence that had tripped up the witch, now brought Piper down as well. She fell to the floor, screaming as the witch swung the dagger at her. The blade slashed through her parka, narrowly missing Piper's arm as she scrambled to get away._  
_ "Piper!" Phoebe had gotten to her feet and now she stood in front of the curtain, a nervous look on her face. The witch straightened, turning towards Phoebe. Piper stood quickly, motioning for her sister to run, but Phoebe wasn't going anywhere. She cautiously walked towards her, surveying the situation as the witch came between them._  
_ "Phoebe, don't.." Piper started. But Phoebe took another step closer. Apparently it was one step too many. The woman let the dagger slip out of fingers then slowly raised her hand into the air. Piper watched in amazement as her sister was lifted off of the floor. She'd seen Prue toss people around before. But even she hadn't been able to hold them in the air for long periods of time. That took a lot of strength, strength this witch obviously had._  
_ "Phoebe!" Piper watched as her sister glanced around wildly. And then the woman started to close her raised fist. Piper couldn't understand what she doing at first. But then she heard Phoebe gasping for air. She couldn't breathe. The witch was slowly strangling her._  
_ "If you stand with him," the woman yelled. "Then you will die for it!"_  
_ "No!" Piper yelled, trying to get the witch's attention again, anything to make her let go of Phoebe. "Leave her alone!"_  
_ Piper glanced around, her eyes seizing upon the large wooden cradle. Before she even realized what she was doing, she had picked it up. She swung it at the witch, but it had no effect. The woman simply glanced over at her, knocking the object out of her hands. Piper jumped back in surprise, then looked up at her sister again. Phoebe's eyes had rolled up into her head and Piper knew she was dying._   
_ "Let her go!" Piper yelled. But the witch didn't even acknowledge her presence. Piper felt sick to her stomach as she saw Phoebe hovering there, just out of her reach. There was nothing she could do. She would have to stand there and watch the witch murder her sister._  
_ "Now you know what it feels like to watch someone you love die!"_   
_ Piper felt tears stinging the back of her eyes. Phoebe… she was about to lose her. Piper couldn't let that happen. They needed each other. Phoebe and Prue were all she had left. Piper closed her eyes, unable to watch. And then she saw the coffin, the long, shiny box that had sat in front of her on that rainy day so many years ago. Piper had been to two funerals for people she'd loved. She wasn't about to go to another._  
_ "Please, leave her alone!" Piper's voice broke as she approached the witch slowly. There had to be some way to reason with her, to make her understand. But she refused to release Phoebe._   
_ "You watch!" the woman said. "Watch so you'll know, so you can understand."_   
_ "No!" Piper ran at her. She didn't even know what she was doing, what she hoped to accomplish. All she knew was that if she did nothing, Phoebe would die. Piper caught the woman off guard as she crashed into her, the weight of her body sending them both to the floor._  
_ Suddenly, Piper saw the dagger lying nearby. The witch grabbed it and Piper reached over trying to pry it from her iron grip. The woman shrieked in anger, then suddenly let go, allowing Piper just enough time to get to her feet before the witch rushed towards her again. Piper couldn't move. It was as if her feet were glued to the floor. She closed her eyes automatically as the woman came at her._   
_ Piper hadn't realized that she still held the dagger. And by the time she felt it clenched in her outstretched hands, it was already too late. The thunder crashed somewhere outside and Piper's eyes flew open. She screamed as the witch ran into the dagger, the blade disappearing into her clothes. Then the woman stumbled, taking a couple steps back before she collapsed to the ground. Flashes of lightning illuminated the room and Piper just stood there, staring down at the woman, unable to breathe. She had killed her. Piper had killed the witch._ Sss

"No!" Piper jolted straight up in bed, her heart racing. She kept her body completely still as she sat there, her eyes moving from side to side. Piper swallowed hard, trying to clear her mind, trying to discern fact from reality. Then she dropped back to her mattress. It had just been a dream. Piper took a deep breath and glanced over the edge of her bed. She could just see the top of Phoebe's head poking out of the sleeping bag. Her sister was still sleeping.  
Piper rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. She knew she had to find some way to get rid of the nightmares. If she didn't then she was going to go crazy and Phoebe would most likely spend the rest of her nights on the floor trying to protect her sister from a demon Piper wasn't even sure existed.  
"This is stupid, Piper..." she whispered, "...time to get over it."  
She sat up again and swung her feet over the side of the bed. Carefully stepping around Phoebe, she grabbed her robe and slipped it on. Then she brushed her hair from her eyes and made her way to the stairs, resisting the urge to turn on the lights. There were many nights when Prue would be up reading or working late. The last thing Piper wanted to do was let her big sister know that she was awake. Prue would only assume that something had happened and then she'd have two people sleeping on her floor.  
Piper took the last of the steps quickly, avoiding the ones that usually creaked. She padded into the kitchen, happy to see that the lights from the neighbor's house were providing some illumination. But still the kitchen was fairly dark and she was careful not to bump into anything as she made her way towards one of the cupboards. She opened the refrigerator, then grabbed for her mug, pouring some milk into it. Already she was beginning to feel better. Getting up and moving around had helped to push the nightmare farther back into her memory.   
Piper placed the carton back in the refrigerator then sipped the milk slowly. She leaned against the counter, holding the mug in both hands. She thought of poor Phoebe, asleep on her floor. Piper knew she should have tried harder to push her sisters away from their whole Vargo demon theory. But she simply couldn't tell them the truth. Mentioning Faith Evans would be opening up a very old wound, one that hadn't completely been healed. Piper had to keep that pain to herself. There was no sense handing it around. She could handle it. Everything would be fine.  
With a sigh, Piper turned and poured the rest of her milk down the sink. For some reason she was no longer thirsty. She turned on the faucet and washed out the glass then dried it quickly, not wanting to leave any evidence of her midnight wandering. But as she started to put the mug back on its shelf, Piper thought she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. She whirled around praying that the cat would be there or maybe even Prue or Phoebe. But it wasn't any of them. Instead she saw Faith Evans standing there in front of her.   
Piper dropped the mug, and it fell to the floor, shattering into a million pieces.


	19. Chapter 18

"So what time do I have to be there?" Prue reached into the refrigerator and grabbed a bag of carrot sticks from the vegetable drawer. When she got no response, she lifted her head just enough to see over the door. Phoebe wasn't even looking at her. "Hello? Earth to Phoebe."  
"Huh?" Her sister snapped back to attention. She glanced down at her bowl of cereal, which had been transformed into a soggy mess. Then she twisted in her seat and looked over at Prue. "Sorry, guess I was zoning."  
"Yep." Prue closed the refrigerator door. "I'd say so." She moved over to the counter and grabbed one of the plastic containers she usually used for her lunch. Between work and Phoebe's play practice there was no way she was going to get home to eat. "So what time am I supposed to be at the school?"  
"I don't know, noon I guess." Phoebe stood and went over to the sink. She poured what was left of her cereal down the drain, even as Prue whirled around to face her.  
"Noon? Phoebe it's eight right now," she said. Prue's mind raced as it silently listed all the things she was supposed to do in those four measly hours. She'd expected play practice to start much later than that. "I still have to get some pictures for my other assignment and finish developing them."  
"Well then, I guess you'd better hurry." Phoebe smiled as she patted her on the shoulder. Prue gave her a pointed look. Phoebe owed her big time and any day now she was going to start collecting all of her favors. And at that point her little sister would be her slave, for at least a month or two. Prue smiled at the thought.  
"Just you wait, Pheebs."  
"Wait for what?" Phoebe started to push past Prue, then suddenly jumped back. "Ow!" She grabbed Prue to steady herself as she nearly fell over.  
"What are you doing?"  
"Yelling in pain." Phoebe let go of her sister and limped back to her chair. "What does it look like I'm doing?" Phoebe lifted up one foot and winced as she saw the ceramic shard embedded in her skin. She carefully picked it out and wrinkled her nose as a tiny speck of blood appeared. Prue came up behind her and glanced over her shoulder.  
"I think you'll live."  
"Thanks for your concern," Phoebe said. She gestured back to the floor where a few more ceramic pieces were scattered. "And your clean up efforts."  
"I didn't drop anything." Prue moved back to the counter and finished putting her veggies in their container. "Must've been Piper." She placed the lid on the container then carefully picked up the rest of the shards. After tossing them into the trash, she went and sat next to Phoebe. "Speaking of which, how'd everything go last night?"  
"Well, the Vargo demon was a no show." Phoebe said, still inspecting her foot. "Unless of course I slept through it."  
"Well if Piper's still with us this morning, then I think that we're fine."  
"Actually she kind of wasn't there when I woke up," Phoebe said slowly, letting her foot drop back to the floor. She bit her lip, then looked over at Prue. "I mean, I assume she was in the bathroom, but-"  
Prue stopped her quickly before Phoebe really started to worry. She nodded towards the hall and Phoebe turned her head just in time to see Piper entering the kitchen. Prue saw Phoebe's eyes widen as she stared at her sister. Piper collapsed into one of the chairs, then dropped her forehead onto the table, without ever saying a word. Prue's eyebrows rose as she and Phoebe exchanged a look. Piper hadn't even made it to the coffee maker. That alone was cause for concern.  
"Piper, honey," Phoebe said gently. "Um, you don't look so good."  
"And a special thanks to you for stating the obvious." Piper lifted her head slowly and Prue could see that Phoebe was right. Piper was paler than usual, with large, dark circles under her eyes. She hadn't even bothered to get dressed yet and her hair was a mess.  
"Are you feeling okay?" Prue asked. "You look like you've been up all night."  
"That demon didn't show up did he?" Phoebe sounded concerned. "'Cause I thought I heard something, but I was in the middle of this really good dream and-"  
"No, Phoebe." Piper brushed her hair out of her face as she finally sat up. "It was a completely demonless night."  
Piper smiled a little at Prue and rolled her eyes towards their sister. She was obviously trying to ease their worries, but Prue could tell that she was exhausted. Something was wrong, but Prue was beginning to doubt that it had anything to do with the Vargo demon. Piper had been so sure that they had been wrong the night before. And the only reason that she would have been so adamant was if it were something else, something she didn't want to tell her sisters about.  
"What?" Piper leaned across the table towards her and Prue realized that she had been staring.  
"Nothing." Prue stood quickly, trying to ignore her worry. Piper and Phoebe were adults now. They could certainly take care of themselves. Prue grabbed the rest of the lunch she'd prepared and packed it into her bag. But then she stopped abruptly and looked over at Piper. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't quite get past that mothering instinct. "Maybe you should stay home today."  
"I thought you were worried about a demon killing me."  
"Well now I'm worried that you might be sick."  
"I just didn't sleep that well. That's all Prue, really." Piper sighed and rested her chin in her hands. She looked like she was going to say something to Phoebe. But then she glanced over at Prue. "You've still got mom-face. I didn't think I looked that bad."  
"You don't." Prue said. She could tell that Piper didn't really believe her, but there was nothing else Prue could say. So instead she smiled and slipped around behind her sister's chair. She leaned down and hugged Piper from behind. "Just take it easy today, okay?"  
"Okay," Piper smiled a little. "But talk to Phoebe. She's the one who's making me fly."  
"Right!" Prue had almost forgotten the play. She rushed to grab her purse from the counter then turned back towards her sisters. "I'll pick you guys up at the club, and then we'll go straight to the school." She pointed at Phoebe. "No singing, right?"  
Phoebe grinned and quickly crossed her heart with one finger.  
"No singing, I promise."  
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Phoebe knew she should go take her shower and get ready to leave. There were lots of errands she needed to run before noon, and she really should have been dressed already. But instead she sat at the table, watching Piper eat. Every few seconds Piper would glance in her direction, looking rather uncomfortable under her sister's constant scrutiny. Finally Piper set down her spoon.  
"Am I dying?" she asked abruptly. "Is there something you're not telling me?"  
"Well is there something you're not telling me?" Phoebe asked. Piper sighed, making her annoyance clear. But Phoebe really didn't care anymore. If her usually sweet natured sister had an attitude, then that gave her all the more reason to worry. Something was up with Piper, and Phoebe was determined to help if she could. "Come on Piper, we all know you've been in a funk lately. I'm just wondering why."  
"Can't I ever just have a bad night's sleep?" Piper asked.  
"Is that really what you want?"  
"You know what I mean, Phoebe," Piper scowled at her. "Just because I don't sleep well doesn't mean that demons are stalking me."  
"Maybe it was 'cause Leo went MIA on you."  
"Contrary to popular belief, Leo and his whitelighter world aren't the source of all of my problems." Piper picked up her spoon, and scooped some more cereal out of her bowl. She glanced over at the newspaper and Phoebe knew that she wanted the subject dropped. But that wasn't going to happen.  
"Was it me? Did I snore?"  
"No Phoebe! You didn't snore, you didn't do anything!" Piper insisted. It was hard to miss the exasperation in her voice. Still, it wasn't like Piper to be so secretive. Usually she'd tell Phoebe anything. "I just don't feel well this morning."  
"Maybe you have a fever," Phoebe said. Before Piper could protest, she reached out and gently put her hand on her sister's forehead.  
Phoebe closed her eyes and everything changed. An eerie feeling came over her as she saw the darkened kitchen and Piper standing near the sink. Phoebe held her breath as the premonition played through. When it was finished she opened her eyes, and slowly dropped her hand from Piper's forehead. She twisted around in her seat and glanced over to where the ceramic shards had been. She knew now what Piper was so afraid to tell them. And what she had seen had scared her just as much as it must have scared Piper.  
"What?" Her sister watched her intently.  
"Nothing." Phoebe shook her head and started to stand. She needed to talk to Prue before she said anything else. But Piper grabbed her arm, forcing her to sit down again.  
"Now you sound like Prue." She narrowed her eyes as she leaned in towards Phoebe. "I know you. You just had a premonition, didn't you?"  
"No." Phoebe tried on her most innocent expression. But Piper wasn't buying it.  
"Yes you did," she insisted even as Phoebe shook her head. "What did you see?"  
"I didn't see anything." Phoebe looked down at the table then grabbed for the newspaper. If Piper couldn't even discuss it, then Phoebe wasn't going to make her, not then anyway. _Let Prue do it_, she thought. Prue's better at these kinds of things. Ignoring Piper's glare, Phoebe tried to read the newspaper. But her sister quickly pushed it away.  
"Liar."  
"Okay, fine." Phoebe glanced up at her. "What did you see in your nightmare?"  
Piper froze, taken aback. Phoebe had clearly caught her off guard. She waited a moment, to see if her sister would finally reveal the secret she'd been so desperate to keep. But then Piper stood abruptly, sliding her chair out behind her.  
"I'm not going to play this game with you, Phoebe," she said. The attitude was gone. Now she just sounded tired.  
Piper picked up her bowl and took it over to the sink. Then she wandered out of the kitchen. As soon as she was gone, Phoebe leapt to her feet and grabbed for the phone.  
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Piper sighed as she stared at the huge stack of boxes. Her assistant had left them all on the bar and the stack looked a lot bigger than she had remembered. Yes, she had volunteered to put the new supplies away, but now as she stood there, she was beginning to wonder why she had done so. She was P3's owner. Delegation of the lousier jobs was one of her perks.  
Oh well, she thought. It was something to do at least. She actually craved the distraction, anything to keep her mind off the previous night's ...happenings. She didn't really know what else she should call it. Had it been real or just the most detailed dream she'd ever had? No, she thought. She'd seen the empty spot on the shelf that morning, the spot where her mug should have been. But now that mug was in pieces, sitting in the trash under the sink. Piper hadn't dreamed about going down to the kitchen. She'd definitely been there.  
Piper moved out from behind the bar, leaving the stack of boxes to whoever had the first shift. She sat down at a table and folded her arms across it, then laid her head down. She just needed to think. Faith Evans hadn't really been there. It had just been some weird hallucination. It was probably brought on by the stress of everything else that was happening. Add to that, the fact that she was back on stage, admittedly for a much different purpose, and it wasn't surprising that she was a little unnerved. In fact, it was natural.  
Piper slowly lifted her head, feeling a little bit better. But as soon as she did, she saw her again. Faith Evans was there, standing on the other side of the table. Leaping to her feet, Piper knocked her chair over. She backed away quickly until she nearly tripped on it. But the woman made no move towards her. She just stood there, staring at Piper.  
Piper felt like she should say something, maybe even apologize, anything to break that horrible silence. But she couldn't find the words. Her heart was racing and for just that moment Piper was sitting back in the rain, that little book in her hands. She was staring at the picture and then... Oh god, she thought. She could feel the cool water droplets touching her skin. And from somewhere off in the distance, she could hear the sounds of the storm, the thunder crashing, the wind rushing past her. A shiver ran up her spine as she pushed away that terrible feeling, blinking as P3 reappeared. But Faith was still there, her eyes glued to Piper.  
She was a ghost, Piper knew. And ghosts had a funny way of finding them. But this was different. This was personal. And Faith's appearance was more than a little delayed. It's been six months, Piper told herself. Why would she come back now? Maybe to kill me, her mind quickly answered. And it was true, Faith had that murderous look in her eyes, that same look she'd had that night. And now Piper was really scared. Ghosts could kill, that was no secret. And if Faith believed in that whole eye for an eye thing, then Piper was in serious trouble.  
This is bad, she thought, I should have told Phoebe and Prue. She felt stupid for not having done so already. But she hadn't been able to talk about it. Of course it was going to be that much harder to discuss once she was dead.  
Piper swallowed hard as her mouth went dry. Faith finally took a step towards her and Piper jumped as she heard something crash to the floor. She whirled around and saw a pile of shattered glass by the bar. A shelf that had once held various bottles was empty now and Piper watched as different colored liquids mixed on the ground. She cast a sideways glance at the witch as the rest of her shelves began to shake, the glasses and bottles rattling together. Piper covered her ears as the items pitched off the shelves and onto the floor, exploding into tiny glass shards.  
And then her supply boxes suddenly took off, flying across the bar. Instinctively Piper threw out her hands, and the boxes stopped just as they slid off the edge. But everything else was still moving. Faith was much stronger than Piper.  
The witch took another step towards her and Piper saw her fallen chair heading back towards the wall, scraping across the floor at top speed. As she watched, it hit the plaster and flipped into an upright position, only to be smashed by the two or three tables that followed it. Scraps of wood flew into the air as Piper ducked, dropping down on her hands and knees. She crawled back behind the bar, shrieking as glass rained down around her. Cautiously, she navigated around the worst of the mess, then threw her hands up over her head. There was no place else she could go. She hid there by the few shelves she'd always left empty, forcing herself to ignore the many sounds of destruction. Somehow Faith was dismantling P3, piece by piece. But Piper was more worried about the ghost dismantling her.  
The tornado, Piper remembered. It had to have been Faith, which meant that this particular ghost was stronger than any they'd ever met. And Piper had done a pretty good job of pissing her off.  
Piper held her breath, and winced as a piece of glass slashed through her shirt. She glanced around, trying to think of a way to escape. But from what she could see, her best bet was to stay right where she was. The minute she left her small bit of shelter she was pretty sure she'd be cut down by something, a chair, or worse yet, the ladder Leo had forgotten to put away. So instead Piper curled up in the corner, her eyes squeezed shut as she waited for Faith to end it all. She heard another crash as the ladder fell over and Piper flinched, praying for Prue to show up early, to find her before Faith got the chance-  
"Piper?"  
Her eyes flew open. That hadn't been a ghost's voice. That hadn't even been a woman's voice. She bit her lip, wondering if it was some kind of trick. But then as she glanced up she noticed that the remaining bottles and boxes were no longer sliding around on the bar. Things were still.  
"This could get old," she muttered to herself as she slowly got to her feet. She had a small scratch on her arm from the broken glass, but she was otherwise unhurt. As she finally straightened she realized that Danny was standing there, not far from a pile of wood scraps that had once been her tables. His uncle was still coming down the stairs, but he slowed to a halt on the bottom step. Each had that same confused expression on his face, an expression Piper was fairly used to seeing after her two years of witchcraft.  
"Hey-hey there." Piper made an attempt at cheerfulness. But inside her heart was still pounding as she surveyed her club. It wasn't so bad really, kind of like those nights when the crowd got a little bit wild. "That was-um, quite an earthquake, wasn't it?"  
"Earthquake?" Edward looked rather skeptical.  
"Oh you didn't feel it?" Piper feigned surprise. "How strange." She clasped her hands together as she quickly went over to them. "Well then, what are you guys doing here?"  
"Phoebe sent us over." Danny shrugged. "She said you had the ladder and toolboxes and stuff. You know, so we can fix the set."  
"The set, right."  
"Huh, between wind drafts and earthquakes, this just hasn't been the week for you, has it?" Edward smiled as he looked around. Piper resisted the urge to scowl at him.


	20. Chapter 19

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Prue shook her head as she held the door open for Phoebe. The police station was buzzing with activity, and as they slipped inside, Prue lowered her voice so that only Phoebe could hear her. "Are you sure it was her, I mean Faith Evans, in the flesh?  
"Yeah. Now the question is, was it in the real live flesh, or the creepy dead flesh?" Phoebe squinted, trying to decide for herself. Then she stopped abruptly and turned around. "And why does everyone question my premonitions? Do you think I'm making this up, like I get up in the morning and think hey, let's do a little entertaining today. How about that Faith Evans premonition I've been saving up…."  
"Okay, okay." Prue held up her hands. She didn't need her sister running the defense. They were on the same side after all. "I'm sorry I asked. It's just a little strange. I mean I get an assignment at the same place she was killed, Piper's being visited by her, and you're seeing her in your premonitions."  
"Well, maybe fate has a strange sense of humor."  
"Or maybe this is all happening for a reason."  
"Yeah, like that witch is pissed at Piper."  
Prue nodded. It seemed pretty logical to her, especially if Faith had really been good. Prue shuddered at the thought. She was beginning to feel sorry for the woman. She had sounded like a perfectly nice person- a perfectly nice person who had tried to murder Piper and Phoebe, she reminded herself. And this was the same so-called perfectly nice person who was going after Piper again. Prue's sympathy for Faith vanished immediately. No one attacked her family, not if Prue could help it. And this time she could.  
"Ooh, there's Darryl." Phoebe pointed across the room, then grabbed Prue's hand, leading her towards him. As they wove through the many desks half buried in paperwork, Prue leaned in closer to her sister.  
"What are we going to tell him?"  
"We're not going to tell him anything," Phoebe said. "We'll just ask a few questions, pick up Piper, and arrive just in time for the rehearsal."  
"Phoebe, you don't think he'll be at all curious about why we're bringing up this particular subject?"  
"If he really wants to know, then you tell him, okay?" Phoebe looked to Prue, who just shook her head and sighed. Well it couldn't be all bad, she thought. Six months ago when this had all happened the police inspector had known nothing about their powers. He had helped them simply out of friendship. But shortly after, they 'd been forced to tell him their secret. Now he wasn't fond of hearing about their various adventures, but at least he could listen and understand. Still, they tried to keep him out of things as much as possible. This time that wouldn't be easy.  
"Hey there." Darryl looked a little apprehensive as they sat down at his desk. Prue could hardly blame him. The Halliwell sisters usually brought bad news with them. Evil, mayhem, it was practically their specialty. "What sort of problem are we having today?"  
"Actually, we just need you to clear something up for us." Phoebe clasped her hands together and tried to smile. But Darryl wasn't smiling back. "Are you sure that Faith Evans is dead?"  
Prue winced at Phoebe's abruptness. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Darryl's jaw drop. Her sister could have eased into that one a little bit more. But Phoebe was obviously in a hurry.  
"Did I just hear you right?" Darryl's eyes moved from one sister to the other.  
"Yes," Prue said quickly, before Phoebe got the chance to respond. "Aside from her total lack of tact," she shot her sister a look. "That's essentially what we came to find out. We wanted to make sure, you know..." Prue tucked her hair back behind her ears, feeling rather uncomfortable as Darryl stared at her.  
"That Piper actually killed her," he finished.  
"It was self defense," Phoebe said immediately.  
"Yes, I know that." Darryl leaned over his desk, folding his hands in front of him. He lowered his voice so that only they could hear. "And I also know for a fact that Faith Evans is dead. I was there when the coroner took her."  
"You're positive?" Phoebe asked. "'Cause in our line of work, it's sometimes a little hard to be sure."  
"Well this was my line of work, and I'm telling you that she was definitely dead."  
"Okay then." Phoebe looked over at Prue. "I guess that puts us on the trail of a ghost."  
"That could explain the tornado yesterday," Prue said. "A ghost might be able to do that."  
"Ghost?" Prue saw Darryl grit his teeth; he hated it when they mentioned the super-natural world. "Okay, why don't I just stop you right there."  
Prue watched as he turned around in his desk and opened one of the drawers in his filing cabinet. He grabbed a file and set it out in front of them, careful to make sure that his co-workers didn't see.  
"What's that?" Phoebe asked.  
"Well, I'm guessing that with all this hocus pocus what you guys are really digging for is some info on this woman." He looked from Phoebe to Prue. "Would that be about right?"  
"Pretty much."  
"Okay then, I'll just save you guys the time, and me the long explanation I'm sure you're about to give. Here," he pushed the file across the table. "Just be discrete, and make sure you have it back by the end of the week."  
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"Um...Piper?" Phoebe waited by the one dressing room that had been rebuilt, and watched as Edward worked on the others. It was going to be quite the construction project, and she could only hope that they were rid of their supernatural weather.  
"Hello?" She listened for her sister's response, then grabbed the pencil she'd stuck in her hair, tapping her clipboard anxiously. "Piper, I know you're in there."  
"Well, since you followed me through the gym, I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Piper finally stuck her head through the sheets. "Do I really have to wear this? I'm not sure I want to be wearing a dress as I'm soaring through the air above a bunch of adolescent munchkins."  
"Fine, then wear your pants underneath." Phoebe nudged her back into the room then pushed her own way through the sheets. She sat down in the chair by the corner, shoving aside Piper's various accessories, as her sister pulled the dress on. Piper's hair stood on end and she patted it down quickly, shooting Phoebe a bitter look in the mirror.  
"How'd I let you talk me into this?"  
"You love me." Phoebe grinned at her reflection. But Piper wasn't seeing the humor in the situation. And Phoebe wasn't finding it all that funny herself. "Hey, listen Piper. I know that you don't walk to talk about this, but the club-"  
"Oh, not this again." Piper turned to face her, grabbing her hat from the table. "I already told you-"  
"I know, I know. Your bus boy or whoever forgot to clean it up." Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Somehow I don't quite believe that. And Danny's uncle said you blamed it on an earthquake." Phoebe leaned forward in her chair. "And funny thing, I don't remember the ground moving this morning."  
"It was a very small earthquake." Piper gave her a tight smile. "And besides, it really doesn't matter. We cleaned it up and all is well again... except for this play."  
"Yesterday you were happy to do it."  
"That was before we were nearly struck down by a rainbow."  
"And I tried to tell you that it was a demon," Phoebe reminded her.  
"And I tried very hard to tell you it wasn't," Piper said. "It's just my bad luck and probably my punishment from Grams for wearing this costume. I guess we know now why we could never be witches for Halloween."  
"All right fine," Phoebe threw up her hands. Piper was being difficult, and since she now understood why, Phoebe could hardly be mad at her sister. But at the same time she certainly didn't want to spend the rest of the day trying to work with her. "You're free. You don't have to do it. Just go back to your nice little state of denial."  
"Phoebe-"  
"No really, you're out, let go, fired, whatever you want to call it."  
"Who's going to play the witch?"  
Phoebe took the hat from her and modeled it in the mirror. Then she stuck her nose in the air, giving Piper a most superior look.  
"I will be the witch."  
Piper burst out laughing and Phoebe couldn't help but frown at her. Crossing her arms, she spun around to face Piper.  
"Hey, you don't want the job, you don't get to laugh at the person who does."  
"I'm sorry, you want this job?" Piper tried to suppress another giggle. Phoebe shoved her gently, pushing her back into the table.  
"No, but I'm willing to make a sacrifice for the greater good."  
"Oh please Phoebe." Piper pulled the hat off of her sister's head, then lightly placed it back on her own. "I'll do it, if only to keep you from losing your last shred of dignity with this whole thing."  
Phoebe thought about protesting, then suddenly realized that she had Piper right where she wanted her. It was actually perfect, reverse psychology. Ha, and they say that only works on kids, Phoebe thought. Piper was the perfect candidate. Score one for the Psych student...  
Phoebe tried to look angry, to keep her sister from realizing what had just happened. And it actually seemed to be working.  
"So, um, will you be ready soon?" She twisted her hair back, then stuck the pencil in once again. The play was tomorrow, and Piper had yet to take flight. She would need at least one afternoon to get used to the harness before the big night. And Phoebe would need time to tell Piper that her replacement had just come down with mono. Piper was now the sole candidate for the part. I certainly hope she can learn her lines fast, Phoebe thought. She checked her watch, then glanced over at Piper.  
"You have a departure time of two p.m. Those feet leave the floor or Mr. Beckert makes me work the harness system. I don't pay overtime."  
"Well, in that case-"  
"Hey," Prue stuck her head in, glancing from Piper to Phoebe. She gave her youngest sister a meaningful look. "Did you guys, um, discuss things?"  
Phoebe shook her head, narrowing her eyebrows at Prue. Ten minutes before the big flying scene was hardly the time to mention Faith Evans to Piper. There was no sense pushing their luck.  
"Prue, if this is about the club, I swear to you-" Piper started, but Phoebe quickly shook her head.  
"She just wants to make sure we're on task, right Prue?" Phoebe pushed her back out of the room, even as Prue glared at her. "You know her, really likes to crack that whip."  
"Uh-huh." Piper didn't look ready to believe her. She opened her mouth to ask another question, but Phoebe was already following Prue. As soon as she'd pushed her way through the curtains, she turned towards her oldest sister, who was standing only a few feet away. She put her arm behind Prue and quickly led her away and out of Piper's earshot.  
"Okay I'm sending her into the air, in like, five seconds and you want to bring up the F word?"  
Prue smiled a little as Phoebe realized what she'd just said. She scowled at her older sister, crossing her arms.  
"Oh, you know what I mean."  
"Yes, I do," Prue said as her expression turned serious. "And I'm sorry for ruining your big day, but don't you think Piper's life is a little more important than your play?"  
"Well, what about my life?" Phoebe asked. "I bring this up again and she might just kill me. You know how sensitive she is about this particular subject." Phoebe leaned a little closer, lowering her voice. "Not to mention the fifty or so parents that will be gunning for me. Those costumes weren't cheap!"  
"Weren't you the one who was so worried this morning?"  
"Well, we're all together-here-in the gym, where you can both be useful to me, you remember me right? Your desperate little sister?" Phoebe glanced over at Piper's dressing room. "Besides, she's got to be better off here than she would be alone."  
"Fine," Prue said, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "But your monkey boy is missing."  
"What?"  
"Danny, you know, Piper's new best friend?" Prue said. "The other kids wanted to practice with him and they couldn't find him."  
"Great," Phoebe nodded, "this is just perfect." She looked over at Prue then, narrowing her eyes. Her sister was still in her jeans and shirt. The gingham dress was conspicuously absent. "Where's your costume anyway?"  
"Well, you're the one who wanted to modernize," Prue protested. "What makes a better statement than denim?"  
Phoebe just glared at her.  
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Danny hopped up onto the counter, careful not to sit in the little puddle of water by the sink. He knew that at any moment someone could come bursting into the bathroom, but at that point he really didn't care. He hadn't been alone all day, and now that he had finally gotten the chance, he certainly wasn't going to waste. He glanced once more at the bathroom stalls, but he'd already checked under them just to be sure. Finally, he sighed and unzipped his backpack, pulling the magic book out. The spell was in there. He remembered passing it just before he'd found the spell to trip Jason up. This could turn out even better.  
Danny smiled to himself as he pondered all the possibilities. The chance to finally have a real friend who was over eleven, and a girl one at that. He'd have to command a lot more re-spect then. If Piper turned out to like him, then Jason would have to shut his big mouth.  
"Come on," Danny muttered to himself as he hastily paged through the book, "Where is-"  
"Hello?"  
Danny jumped in surprise as someone knocked on the bathroom door. The voice was a little muffled behind the heavy piece of wood, but Danny was pretty sure that it was Phoebe out in the hallway.  
"Anyone in there?"  
"Um, yeah," Danny said quickly, jumping down from the counter. Dropping the book, he grabbed for his backpack, then turned back only to realize that the book had landed in the puddle of water.  
"Are you, uh, presentable?"  
"Yeah." Danny said automatically, then realized his mistake. The door opened seconds later and Phoebe and Prue barged in. Danny stopped in mid-reach, the book just inches from his fingers. He pulled his hand back abruptly, hoping that they hadn't noticed it. But Phoebe's eyes had already wandered in that direction. Danny swallowed, his throat going dry as Phoebe picked it up, examining the cover. She stared at it for a long moment, then glanced up at Danny.  
"Is this a spell book?"  
"Well, uh." Danny bit his lip. "Kinda."  
"A spell book?" Prue quickly tore it out of her sister's hands, then flipped through the pages. She landed on the spell that he'd used on Jason. Prue certainly didn't look happy as an uncomfortable silence fell over the bathroom. Danny had no idea what he was supposed to say. Most adults would have laughed about it, and patted him on the head, telling him how silly he was. But neither Phoebe nor Prue was laughing. "You've been using this?"  
"No," Danny lied, shaking his head as if to emphasize the point. "I was just looking, for a school report."  
"Magic isn't really something you should be playing with, Danny," Phoebe said. "It can be very-"  
"Phoebe!" Prue interrupted her, gritting her teeth as Danny watched them. He waited for Prue to say more, but the two just looked at each other, then back to the book.  
"It's not real," Danny said. He waited for them to hand the book back and let him go on his way. But it didn't seem like that was going to happen.  
"Where'd you get it anyway?" Prue asked. She wasn't even looking at him. She had resumed her page turning, and every once in awhile her face became grave. At that point Danny knew she'd landed on one of the more vicious spells. "This has some pretty serious stuff in it."  
"From the library."  
"The library?" Prue's eyebrows rose. "Now there's a good argument for book banning."  
"It's due tomorrow so I sort of need it back," he mumbled. They didn't say anything, but Phoebe nodded towards her sister. Sighing, Prue finally held it out to him, but it took a moment before she was willing to let go. She gave him a suspicious look, then finally released it. Danny hastily shoved the book into his backpack, a wave of relief washing over him.


	21. Chapter 20

Phoebe crossed her arms as Danny turned back to them. She knew that she should have let Prue keep the book, but a kid with a bunch of cheesy spells didn't seem like anything she should be worried about. He looked a little nervous now, as he waited for them to step aside. She and Prue were blocking the door and he wasn't about to push past them.  
"Um, I should probably go get into my costume now."  
"Um-hmm." Phoebe nodded. "Get Piper to pin your tail on."  
Prue smacked her lightly and Phoebe tried to suppress a smile. Danny's face reddened and he made a mad dash for the exit as they stepped aside. She heard the door swing shut behind them, and counted the seconds before Prue turned to glare at her.  
"Phoebe!"   
"What?"  
"First of all, you shouldn't have let him out of here with that book."  
"It's harmless Prue." Phoebe sighed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. That would only put her sister on the defensive. But Prue was getting all uptight again. "He's eleven, what's he going to do?"  
"God only knows," Prue muttered. "And that thing about Piper? Probably shouldn't be encouraging him there."  
"Well, she wants to have kids, might as well learn what they're really like."  
"Whoa, Piper with kids? With Leo?" Prue's eyes widened and Phoebe couldn't help but laugh at the expression on her face. "Where did that come from?"  
"You've just been missing out on these little family conversations, haven't you?" Phoebe opened the bathroom door for her sister. "Guess it's time to fill you in, _but_ if and only if, you get into that gingham."  
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"What are you doing here?" Danny caught sight of his cousin emerging from behind the bleachers. Flynt was almost sixteen, and Danny could already see his female classmates gazing in the other boy's direction. There was something about Flynt, something slick, maybe even a little dangerous. All the girls went for it. He looked a lot like his father, Danny's uncle, with the jet black hair and dark eyes. Danny with his blonde hair and blue eyes had never quite seemed to fit in. But he was still working on that. Sooner or later he would find his place in the family.  
"Dad wanted me to help him with the set." Flynt shrugged, then smiled down at him. "He thought I might be able to pick out this new girl you're into."  
"Oh shut up!" Danny swung his backpack at him, but Flynt deflected it easily with one hand. Danny scowled, then walked towards the corner where his uncle was constructing a frame for one of the dressing rooms. "It's not any of your business anyway."   
"Oh come on, Danny." Flynt followed him. "I was just messing with you. Girls shouldn't be your thing anyway."  
"What?" Danny narrowed his eyebrows as he glanced over at him.  
"No, I didn't mean it like that!" Flynt protested and Danny felt rather relieved as they continued towards his uncle. "I just meant that, you know, you're almost ready to-"  
"I know!" Danny said quickly, wishing his cousin would leave him alone. It was frustrating always having someone butt into your life. All he really wanted was to be alone, to test out how powerful he really was. But that obviously wasn't going to happen. Instead, Flynt was going to talk him to death. "I already know everything. You don't need to tell me again."  
"Hey there." Edward was kneeling next to the half constructed frame and he turned towards them as they approached. Standing finally, he brushed himself off, then stepped back to survey his work. After a moment, he put his hand on Danny's shoulder, then glanced over at Flynt, a grin on his face. "So did you guys find the lucky girl?"  
"Oh god." Danny put his hands over his face, groaning in embarrassment.  
"Oh stop it." Flynt reached up to pull his hands away, then suddenly halted his efforts. Staring straight at Danny, he seemed to freeze for a moment. Then his face broke into a smile and he turned in the direction of the stage. "I know who it is."  
Danny could feel his face growing warm as he followed Flynt's gaze. He'd gotten it right on his first try, because Flynt was looking directly at Piper. And now his uncle had seen her too. It was all over.  
"Piper!"  
Danny watched his uncle, as the mortification swept through him. He was waving her over, even as Flynt grinned at Danny. _Just let me die now,_ Danny thought. It couldn't get any worse. He thought about running away, finding a good excuse to escape, but he stayed, if only to make sure his family didn't embarrass him further.  
Piper smiled warmly at them as she headed their way. Glancing over at his uncle and cousin, Danny felt sick to his stomach. This could be very bad.  
"Hey," Piper said. "Phoebe wanted me to thank you for all the help. She's a little busy right now."  
"I can imagine." Uncle Edward nodded, then reached over and put his hand on Flynt's shoulder.  
"This is my son, Flynt. He's just here helping me today."  
"Oh, well, thanks to you too then." Piper held out her hand to him. "I'm Piper, Phoebe's sister, and occasional sucker. She kind of roped me into this at the last moment."  
"So you're the Wicked Witch." Flynt gave her a sly smile as he shook her hand. Then he cast Danny a sideways glance. "My cousin's told us so much about you."   
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Piper wasn't too thrilled about the way Flynt was staring at her. He'd been talking for a few minutes now, but she'd long since tuned him out. Instead she was trying to analyze his expression. Hopefully, it wasn't the googley eyes. She'd had enough of that already. But then Piper saw the look he shot Danny and she realized with horror just what had happened. Flynt knew about Danny and his feelings for her, and he was just trying to torment the poor boy.  
Lovely, Piper thought to herself as the conversation finally ended. First Jason and now this kid. These are such nice children. She sighed, and smiled a little at Danny, hoping that it would make him feel better. As his family started to pack up their tools, she turned and wandered back towards the stage where she'd left the rest of her costume.  
This is all Phoebe's fault. _She got me,_ Piper thought as she pulled on her shoes. _I had an easy out and I didn't even take it._ Piper couldn't believe it. She'd always admired her sister's persuasion skills, but she'd vowed never to be the one who fell for the con game. But she'd fallen, and she'd fallen hard. Phoebe was good. She'd be sure to remember that next time.  
Piper sighed as a wave of exhaustion swept through her. She finally fell back into a chair by the stage, trying to sort things out in her mind. But there was just so much going on. Danny was the least of her problems. That episode with Faith earlier in the day hadn't done much to help the situation. She hadn't been able to sleep in the last few nights, and the play was pushing her work at the club later and later into the evening. To top it all off there was a ghost harassing her, probably trying to kill her. And she was going to have to figure out some way to tell her sisters about it.  
That's gonna be fun, Piper thought. For the past few hours, she'd been debating whether or not to tell them the whole truth. Should she mention the little picture? There was really no reason to, except that it might explain why the ghost was so angry. Of course just the fact that I killed her in cold blood, that might make her angry enough, Piper reminded herself. But there had to be something, some way to stop the flashbacks.  
"Piper!"  
"What?" She looked up to the stage. There stood Phoebe, holding the harness in one hand. An older man wearing a dirty pair of overalls stood next to her and both of them were smiling. That only made Piper feel worse. She closed her eyes for a moment and made a silent wish to disappear.  
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"Is she ready?" Phoebe grabbed the rope that was attached to her harness and yanked up on it, testing its strength. Piper winced as the harness pulled tighter around her body, squeezing the air out of her lungs. She twisted a little to glare at her sister. Iiiii "Ooh, sorry."  
"Well, that's it." Mr. Beckert came around to the front of the stage so that Piper could see him. He was the school's janitor. Phoebe had assured her that the man knew every aspect of the harness system, and that the school had used it a thousand times under his watchful eyes. But as he stood back to look Piper over, she didn't feel so sure. "Like I said, just don't move around too much and you should be fine."  
"Should be?" Piper cast Phoebe a sideways glance. "Should be, Phoebe?"  
"He's kidding," Phoebe insisted as the man disappeared through the wings. She scooped up the witch hat that Piper had left on the floor, and placed it on her sister's head, slipping the strap under her chin. "It's just a little theater humor."  
"Sure." Piper adjusted her costume, trying to make it feel comfortable under the harness. She certainly wasn't finding this funny. She was dressed as a witch and was about to be hoisted up into the air. Nope, nothing about this seemed funny to her. She rubbed her eyes with one hand, then turned to see if Mr. Beckert had reappeared. The harness was beginning to feel a little bit tight.  
"Mr. Beckert!" She started towards the wings, then suddenly felt a jerk from the harness. "Oh, okay, going up now." Piper swung a little as she was lifted off the ground. Somewhere back there, Mr. Beckert had decided that it was time to pull her up off the stage. But a little warning might have been nice. Piper stared down at her sister who was watching her in silent fascination.  
"How do I look?" Piper asked finally. "Does it give me that wicked edge?"  
"You look great." Phoebe said with a little nod of encouragement. But then a puzzled expression came over her face. "Hey, where's your broom?"  
"You think of these things now?"  
Piper was about twenty feet off the stage when Mr. Beckert stopped pulling. Now she was just hanging there, still swinging slightly, a few feet in front of the rainbow. She watched as Prue came out from behind the curtain. She was dressed in her Dorothy costume, a blue and white checkered dress, and she was carrying a furry brown dog. Piper blinked. It was a real dog.  
"One of the kids brought him in," Prue explained, seeing Piper's obvious interest. "I guess we're going for a realistic portrayal. You know dog..." She glanced over at Phoebe. "Tornado..."  
"Oh that's nice." Piper called down. "You get a cute little animal and I get flying lessons."  
Hearing her voice the dog looked up and started barking immediately. Oh back off Fido, Piper thought. His lip curled up and he growled at the flying witch. Then he barked again and wriggled out of Prue's hands. She jumped back as the dog took off across the stage.  
"Okay," Prue said. "That was not a cute little animal."  
Piper nodded in agreement as she hung there. It was a strange sensation, almost like she was floating, and Piper had a nagging feeling of déjà vu. Suddenly it came to her. Christmas, when the witch had grabbed her and held her there with her power. Piper closed her eyes, feeling suddenly ill. She could see Faith staring up at her with that cold angry expression, all that hate directed at Piper. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and Piper took a deep breath. But she felt like she was suffocating. She was just so tired, she couldn't push those feelings, those memories, away anymore.  
"Piper?" She could hear Prue below her.  
"Get me down," Piper said as she opened her eyes. Now, even as she glanced around the stage all she could see was the priest who lay dying and the manger scene with all the wooden animals. Piper blinked, trying to focus on her sisters. Phoebe was staring up at her in confusion.  
"But we just need you to-"  
"Phoebe, get me down now!" Piper yelled.  
"Okay." Phoebe nodded quickly, trying to stay calm. "Uh- Mr. Beckert! I think we're going to need her to come down!"   
"What?"  
Piper could hear the old man's muffled voice from behind the curtain. Why couldn't she get Faith out of her mind? It was like she was there almost, right there in the gym. Piper could feel it.  
"Mr. Beckert, any time now," she heard Phoebe say.  
"Piper, are you okay?" Prue asked.  
Piper shook her head. She really wasn't. She waited for Mr. Beckert to do something, but nothing was happening. She stared down at her sisters, watching as Phoebe scrambled back towards the curtain, trying to get the man to hurry up. And then just like that Piper saw someone else on the stage. Her eyes widened. It was Faith.  
"Phoebe-"  
Piper felt herself drop. But it wasn't the slow steady drop that she had expected. Mr. Beckert wasn't lowering her. She was falling.  
Piper screamed as the stage rushed up to meet her. She threw her hands up to cover her face as she hit hard on her stomach. Then she lay there, completely still.


	22. Chapter 21

Prue stared at Piper's unmoving form, trying to breathe. She wanted to do something. But instead she just stood there watching her younger sister, willing her to get up, to move, anything to show that she was okay. Piper's hat had fallen down and covered her face, and Prue couldn't even tell if her sister was conscious.  
Suddenly, the dog came running out from behind stage. It barked a few times then rushed at the girl. But before it could reach her, Piper's hands came up. The animal froze a few inches away. Prue breathed a sigh of relief, trying not to think about what could have happened.  
"Piper?" Phoebe said softly. She stepped tentatively over towards Piper, and Prue could tell that Phoebe was more afraid of her sister than concerned for her. Piper slowly brought her head up, pushing her hat out of her eyes.  
"Why is it that I always land on the ground?" Piper asked.  
"Well, you wanted to get down." Phoebe smiled a little, but Piper only scowled at her. _Wow, if she was cranky before._.. Prue thought. Oh, this is going to be a long day.  
She looked around at all the frozen people, then waited a few more seconds until they came back to life. Everyone was staring at Piper as Prue rushed to help her up. Piper gave her a small smile of thanks, then reached down and grabbed the barking dog, handing it off to Phoebe.  
"Go do something with this," Piper said.  
"Right." Phoebe nodded as she started off the stage, the ball of fur wriggling in her arms. "I think we'll be going with the stuffed version again."  
"Piper, are you okay?" Prue lowered her voice as she caught sight of the munchkins. The little group was watching them intently. Prue turned so that her back was to them. "What happened up there?"  
"I don't know," she said. "I just got a little dizzy that's all." Piper turned as Mr. Beckert pushed through the curtain. "That was a bit of a rough landing don't you think?"  
"It wasn't me." He looked stunned. "I swear it. Something happened back there."  
Prue saw Phoebe pause and twist around to look at her. Their eyes met, and Prue knew they were thinking the same thing: Faith Evans. It had to have been her. Prue bit her lip and glanced over at Piper. But for some reason she didn't look surprised.  
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It hadn't been him. Danny watched as Piper talked to Mr. Beckert. The man was insisting that he hadn't dropped her. Danny had seen everything and somehow as Piper had hung there he had known what was about to happen. He had felt it, but unlike the crazy events of yesterday, this hadn't been his fault. He was sure of it. Someone or something else had caused her to fall. And it certainly hadn't been the confused man in the overalls.  
He watched a moment longer just to make sure she was okay. Up in the air she had looked confused maybe even a little bit scared. But now as Phoebe came back onto the stage she seemed better, and as she turned their eyes met. Danny smiled at her and Piper waved him over. He rushed towards the stage, taking the steps to the left of it two at a time.  
"You all right?" he asked as he approached her.  
"Yeah, but I think we might have to cancel my flight for today." Piper looked apologetic, but also relieved. It was obvious she hadn't been real big on the flying to begin with, and the falling part had been a most unwelcome surprise. "I'm sorry. I know you worked really hard on your lines."  
"That's okay." Danny shrugged, trying to hide his disappointment.  
"Piper." Phoebe pulled her aside, nodding towards the solemn looking group of children in the wings. "We could still do the other scenes."  
"Phoebe, I can't." Piper shook her head as Danny watched. She slowly pulled her hat off of her head and handed it over to Phoebe. Then she unbuckled the harness. "I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry about the play, but I'm tired and sore and I just want to get back to the club."  
"Well fine. You don't have to do it right now," Phoebe said quickly. "But the play is tomorrow."  
"No, I'm not going to be here tomorrow," Piper said gently but firmly. "You're going to have to do it without me. I'm not coming back."  
Danny stared at her for a long moment, realizing what that meant. He wasn't going to see her again. It was time. Tonight was the night.

"It had to have been her," Phoebe said, glancing back at Prue as they walked through the dining room. "Either that or Piper's got the worst luck in history, and that's saying a lot considering our family."  
Phoebe carried the hefty file that Darryl had given them under one arm. Stalking into the living room, she collapsed onto the couch. She opened the file in her lap as Prue sat down in the nearby chair.  
"I don't know Pheebs." Prue folded her legs up underneath her. "I mean, demons trying to kill people with rainbows, ghosts dropping them onto a stage... There have got to be more direct ways of hurting someone, unless evil's gotten all lazy on us."  
Prue wasn't quite ready to blame everything on this mysterious ghost. Before they got in over their heads again, Prue wanted to be sure they were right. They'd already made their mistake with the Vargo demon. Prue didn't want to be wrong twice.  
"It could have been an accident."  
"After everything else that's been happening?" Phoebe stopped going through the file just long enough to shoot Prue a skeptical look. Then she went back to the photos that she'd been looking at. Some were of the crime scene and Prue watched as Phoebe quickly flipped past those. "What I don't understand is why we didn't see Faith. I mean we've never had a problem seeing ghosts before. We're used to the whole Casper scene."  
"Well, we've never been dealing with a witch before either," Prue said. She glanced around the living room, wishing that Piper was in on their conversation. It just didn't feel right, leaving her out. She was part of the team and now they were keeping secrets from her. "Phoebe, don't you think we should've mentioned this to her? I mean she gets dropped onto a stage and we pretend like its nothing."  
"But its not like she doesn't know, Prue." Phoebe looked over Darryl's notes. She squinted at them, then sighed and grabbed her glasses from the table. "She's the one who didn't tell us."  
"Duh, I can't imagine that she really wants to talk about it," Prue said. She could still remember hearing Piper cry in her room that night when they had returned home. But by the next morning it was like she had flipped on some switch deep inside, like everything was back to normal. But it had all been an act. Prue had suspected it then and now at least she knew she'd been right. Not that it was a whole lot of comfort... "I mean, c'mon Phoebe, we always knew we might have to raise this issue again."  
"I really didn't think Faith would be rising with it," Phoebe said. She sighed, pushing her glasses up so that she could rub her eyes. Then she glanced over at Prue. "So what do we do? Can't we just point her to the great white light, you know, tell her to andale, or something?"  
Prue shook her head, wishing it were that easy.  
"Phoebe, she didn't hang around because she missed the bus," Prue ran both her hands through her hair, pulling it back from her face. She paused for a moment and looked over at her sister. "We're going to have to vanquish her. And I think we're going to need Piper's help to do it."  
"Oh, this is gonna be fun."  
Prue could see Phoebe's worried expression. There was no telling what Piper's reaction might be if they proposed such a thing. But she would have to get over what had happened sooner or later, and sooner would be much more preferable under the circumstances. Who knew what this ghost might do if they gave her the chance?  
Prue stood and grabbed some of the papers that Phoebe had set aside. Sitting down next to her sister, she scanned through them quickly, amazed at what she saw. It only confirmed what the lady at the church had told her. If Faith had been evil, the rest of the world had never known it.  
"Look at this," Prue said. "Each of these articles tells about some great deed this woman did, volunteering at the soup kitchen, running the theater free of charge... How come we never knew about this?"  
"We never cared."  
"I just don't understand it." Prue pulled at the heart shaped charm on her necklace, sliding it back and forth across the chain. She could sense her sister's obvious lack of concern. How was it that Phoebe, who'd been so bothered by Faith's goodness the previous night, could now care so little? She wasn't even looking at Prue. She was completely absorbed in the file, her expression blank, emotionless.  
"Phoebe." Prue waved her hand to get her attention. "Doesn't this matter to you? I mean if we go by what these articles are saying, this woman was practically a saint."  
"Sure." Phoebe turned and peered over her glasses at Prue. "Right up until she stabbed the priest and tried to kill us."  
"Okay, fine." Prue had to concede to that one. "But did we ever even ask ourselves why she did it?"  
"I think I stopped worrying about that right around the time she tried to choke me in mid-air."  
Prue bit her lip and glanced back down at the articles. Okay, so that hadn't been the most sensitive way to handle the situation. Obviously Phoebe wouldn't care about Faith, especially not now, after she'd attacked Piper. Phoebe had been there, she had seen what Faith Evans could do, the anger and evil within her. Prue hadn't. She'd been too busy at the auction house.  
"Phoebe, you know I would have been there, " Prue said. "I mean if I'd known what was going to happen..."  
"I shouldn't have taken us there in the first place," Phoebe said, her eyes still glued to the file. "We all made our mistakes... except for Piper." She glanced over at Prue, her confusion evident in her expression. "That's what I don't get. She was defending us, saving us. That was the only thing that went right. It was just a vanquishing like all of the others." Phoebe sighed, looking a little bit hurt. "So why is it killing her to talk about it?"  
"Because she's Piper," Prue explained. "And because she was alone and took the responsibility all on herself, just like she always does."  
"She wasn't alone," Phoebe said. "I mean not really. She didn't decide to go there. We all did."  
"And we'll fix it together this time," Prue said finally. "We'll tell her the truth and then we'll get past it-again."  
"Okay," Phoebe said, renewing her search through the file. "So Vanquishing Faith: Part Two."  
"The sequel." Prue reached over and set the articles face down on the table. "So what are we going to do with all this information?"  
"If you're looking for ideas, don't look here."  
"All we really need is a ghost vanquishing spell, right?" Prue started to pick up the rest of the stuff that Phoebe was setting aside. Her sister was too busy poring through the file to realize that she'd been tossing its contents all over the room.  
"A ghost vanquishing spell," Phoebe repeated. For a moment she stared off into space, and then her eyes seemed to brighten. "That was one of the spells the book flipped to just after Leo came."  
"So the book wasn't wrong about the danger. We were." Prue stacked the rest of Darryl's notes into a neat pile on the table, then leaned back against the soft cushions. That set them back a couple of steps. They'd been preparing for the wrong danger before. The Vargo demons weren't really their problem, they never had been. "Somehow that doesn't make me feel better."  
"Plus it's the spell where, you know, we kind of had to kill you."  
"Fun."  
"And she knew..." Phoebe glanced over at Prue as she took off her glasses. "Piper knew all along and she never said a word."  
"I never said a word about what?"  
Prue winced as she recognized the voice immediately. She heard the front door close and then Piper was there, her car keys still in hand, as she glanced over at them. Prue saw Phoebe frantically trying to grab up the papers and photos she had put on the table. But it was too late. Piper spotted them as she wandered into the room. She picked up one of the crime scene pictures and looked it over, then slowly lowered herself onto the couch next to Phoebe.  
"What's this?" She didn't even glance in her sister's direction. Instead she continued to stare at the picture. Phoebe was still trying to discretely gather up the rest of the file, but Piper grabbed her arm and pulled it back away from the table. She finally turned towards her younger sister and held up the photo for her to see. "Where did you get this?"  
"I, um..." Phoebe looked to Prue for help. But Prue hadn't been prepared and she stared blankly at both of her sisters. Phoebe tried to smile a little as she glanced back at Piper. "Well, Prue and I were sort of worried about you and..." She trailed off and closed what was left of the file, hugging it to her chest. "We were just trying to help."  
"Piper we know about the ghost," Prue said as her voice finally came to her. They were going to have to talk about it some time. And since they had already broached the subject, she wasn't going to back off now. "Phoebe saw her in one of her premonitions. We think that's why all this strange stuff's been happening."  
"It makes sense," Phoebe said. "I mean she's probably pretty mad because of-" She stopped abruptly as she realized what she was saying.  
"Because of the fact that I killed her."  
"Yeah." Phoebe looked down, playing with the clasp on her bracelet. "There's that."  
"All right," Piper said slowly, trying hard to keep her composure. But Prue could tell she was angry and a little bit hurt that they'd kept this from her. Of course it wasn't like we were the only ones keeping secrets, Prue reminded herself. Phoebe had made a good point. Piper hadn't been too anxious to bring it up either.  
"Piper, we just needed to know," Prue tried to explain. "If we have a ghost on our hands then we need to deal with it before someone gets hurt."  
"Before you get hurt," Phoebe added quietly.  
"Phoebe-"  
"No, look Piper, I'm sorry about what happened and everything." Phoebe interrupted her, before Piper had the chance to protest. "I shouldn't have dragged you to that stupid church. But I'm not sorry about trying to help you. You need us on this one."  
An eerie silence fell over the room and Prue held her breath, unsure of what Piper might do. She could be the strongest of all of them at times, but Prue hardly expected this to be one of those times. Finally though, Piper bit her lip and looked down at her hands, avoiding their concerned expressions.  
"I know," she said quietly. "I know I need you on this. But I just keep thinking that maybe it'll go away."  
"It's not going away," Prue said. "It's only going to get worse."  
"But can't we just help her move on or something?" Piper glanced up at them, then grabbed a few more of the pictures. "I did this to her. I don't see how I can vanquish her too."  
"Piper, honey, it wasn't your fault," Phoebe said, putting her arm around Piper, as her sister leaned into her. Prue watched the two of them, wondering how things might have been different if only she'd been there. Phoebe and Piper both blamed themselves, when the whole thing was really her fault.  
"I'm sorry I wasn't there, Piper."  
"It doesn't matter," Phoebe said firmly. "We do what we have to, and sometimes it sucks. But we can't regret something like this."  
Prue nodded slowly. Phoebe was right of course. This was their way of life. It was dangerous and people got hurt. Andy, her boyfriend had died trying to help them. Piper's doctor had died trying to understand how she had lived through a deadly disease. They'd all felt responsible for someone's death at one time or another. But they'd had to get over it. That was the only way to survive.  
"Piper, come on," Prue said. She watched as her sister picked through the papers that were still strewn around. But Piper refused to look up at her. Instead, she kept sifting through the file, reading over each clipping. Phoebe just watched, too scared to interfere. Finally Prue reached over and grabbed her sister's hand, forcing her to stop. "We have to vanquish her now, you know that. We have to finish what we started."  
"No, Prue." Piper shook her head, the anger and frustration creeping into her voice. She finally glanced up and Prue could see all the hurt that was there, that had remained after all this time. "We don't have to do anything. I have to do it. I'm the one she's after. I'm the one she blames."  
"That doesn't mean-"  
"There's nothing you can do," Piper insisted. Prue could see that she was breaking. Whatever had happened in the past few days, it was simply too much for her. Six months may have gone by, but apparently nothing had healed.  
"I have to deal with this on my own." Piper's voice rose as she continued. She could no longer control the flood of emotions, and as her sisters watched she seemed overwhelmed, out of control. "We can vanquish her all over again, but she'll still be here, Prue..."  
"No, she'll be gone," Prue explained, trying to make her understand. She would finally get the chance to help Piper, to fix the mistake that she'd made by not being there. She dropped her voice, hoping to calm her sister. "We can get rid of her now."  
"She'll never be gone!" Piper shouted, her words echoing through the house. She tossed the papers back onto the table and Prue watched as they spilled off onto the ground. Piper stared at her, right at her, and it was as if the pain could be transmitted straight through the air.  
"You weren't there, you didn't see her," Piper said, her voice nearly breaking. "It doesn't matter what we do now, I'll still know. And you can't understand that!"  
The house fell silent. Prue waited for a long moment and she saw Phoebe squirm in her seat. It had been a long while since they had heard Piper yell. But this was one time that no one could blame her. They should have known it all along, Prue realized. They should have sensed it somehow, what Piper had been going through. But they'd let it go, choosing to ignore it, while silently hoping that everything would be fine. They had clearly been wrong.  
"I can try now," Prue said finally. "I can try and make this better."  
"How?" Piper asked, her voice suddenly quiet as she stared at Prue. "How can you fix it? You can't change what already happened."  
"But we still have to vanquish her," Phoebe said, grabbing her hand. She looked over at her sister and their eyes met. "And I know that you know that, Piper. We can't just do nothing."  
"I know," Piper said. She closed her eyes for a moment, and Prue knew that she was thinking, or maybe remembering all that had happened. But then she slowly opened her eyes again, and glanced over at Prue. "What are we going to do?"  
"Maybe we can ask him." Phoebe motioned towards the middle of the room and Prue turned to see Leo orbing in. Piper sat up a little and seemed to brighten as he materialized right before their eyes.  
"Leo." Phoebe smiled. "Just the whitelighter we wanted to see."  
"Bad news or social call?" Prue asked, equally glad that he had appeared. If they couldn't help Piper, then maybe he could.  
"Social call." He didn't even look at her. Already he was staring at Piper who had stood in order to greet him. She didn't say anything as he came over to hug her. She just leaned against him, wrapped in his arms. Leo glanced over her head at Prue. He could already tell that something was wrong.  
"Do you remember us telling you about someone named Faith Evans?" Phoebe asked, picking up on his puzzled expression.  
"The bad witch." Leo nodded. "The one who died."  
"Yep, that would be her." Phoebe clasped her hands together and leaned forward a little. "Just for uh, future reference here, how bad would it be if she, you know, suddenly went all ghostly on us?"  
"You're being haunted by Faith Evans?"  
"No, actually that would be me," Piper said as he finally let go of her. "I'm the one she really wants."


	23. Chapter 22

Piper spotted the book as she entered the room. Phoebe had left it open on her bed, and as Piper stepped towards it she could see the spell on the page. It was the ghost vanquishing spell that they had used once before, the one that had nearly killed Prue.  
Piper sat down on Phoebe's bed, running her hands over the words. She read the spell silently, then glanced at the illustration on the opposite page. She didn't want to do it. She knew that they would have to vanquish Faith. There was no other option. But as much as the ghost scared her, Piper hated the idea of vanquishing her. It would be like killing her all over again. How could it be right to repeat one of the most horrible things she had ever done?  
With a sigh, Piper lay back against the headboard, her eyes wandering towards Phoebe's bedside table. Slowly she reached out and picked up the picture of her mother and Phoebe. She stared at the photo, remembering how happy Phoebe had been that day. Their Mom had gotten out of work and spent the whole afternoon with them. It had meant everything to her and her sisters. A few weeks later their mother was gone...  
Piper closed her eyes. The funeral, she could still see it. It had been so hard to understand what was happening. She wondered if Faith's little boy had felt the same way.  
"Piper?"  
She opened her eyes and saw Prue in the half open doorway.  
"Can I come in?"  
"It's not my room." Piper smiled a little, quickly setting the picture back down. "And I doubt Phoebe would mind, seeing that you're always in here stealing your clothes back."  
"Yeah, I know." Prue stepped inside, casting a sideways glance towards the closet. "I'm still searching for my blue skirt."  
"Well, if you find it tell me," Piper said. "Then I'll know there's hope for the safe return of half of my wardrobe. Funny thing, whenever Phoebe visits my room another outfit disappears."  
"Interesting how that happens, isn't it?" Prue came over and sat on the bed next to her. She immediately noticed the book and the page it was open to. There was an uncomfortable silence as she stared at it.  
"I know that we have to vanquish her," Piper said finally. "It's okay, but I don't want to use a spell that's going to kill one of us."  
"Not so fond of that one myself," Prue said with a smile. "But we'll find something." Piper nodded and Prue bit her lip, the smile disappearing at she picked at the threads of Phoebe's old blanket. "You know, we never really talked about it, what happened that night, I mean."  
"There was nothing to talk about."  
"Come on, Piper." Prue looked up at her. Out of everyone, Prue probably knew her the best, and right now she could see straight through her younger sister. "We both know that you weren't okay, that you're not okay now."  
"I'm fine," Piper insisted. "It was hard for awhile, you're right. But I got over it."  
"You don't get over things like that," Prue said. She reached out and closed the book slowly, pulling it away from Piper. "Even if she was evil-"  
"She wasn't evil," Piper said. Somehow, she'd realized that long ago. Something had gone horribly wrong and Piper had known it. She had killed someone just like herself, another good witch. "We were on the same side or we should have been at least."  
"Piper, those articles, you shouldn't have looked at them."  
"I didn't need to look at those, I knew about Faith the moment it happened. Why do you think I was so upset?" Piper glanced over at the picture on Phoebe's table, then tucked the hair back behind her ears. "There are a lot of things I know."  
"Like what?"  
"Just things, Prue." Piper stood abruptly and stepped over towards Phoebe's window. It was almost impossible to see out through the storm clouds. "Things about Faith, about me, about what I did. I killed someone, I took her life from her."  
"We don't know why it happened," Prue said, pulling her feet up onto the bed. Piper could see her reflection in the glass, the concerned expression on her face. But Prue didn't bother to stand, to follow her sister. She knew better than that. "Piper, there had to have been a reason."  
"Because I screwed up!" Piper said, turning back towards her. Why couldn't Prue understand this? It was so obvious to her, so clear what had happened. "I did what I was supposed to do, only it was the wrong thing. And the wrong person ended up dead."  
"What are you saying, that Phoebe should have died, that you should have died?"  
Prue wanted so much to jump up and fix this, Piper could tell. Prue had always needed to save her, to make everything better. But there was no making this better. And it only made Piper all the more frustrated when she tried.  
"Prue, let's just drop this okay?"  
"We can't drop it," she said. "We can't change the past, you're the one who told me that. And we certainly can't forget it."  
"Do I look like I'm forgetting it?" Piper demanded. "God, Prue! I-I'm having nightmares about her, I see her everywhere. And I can't make it stop!"  
"But it's not you," Prue said, dropping her voice. She had that tone that Piper had heard so many times before. Prue was so sure she was right. "It's her, she's doing this. She's real and she's nasty and she could hurt you, Piper. And you can't let some misplaced blame get in the way of protecting yourself."  
"That's not what I'm doing!" Piper protested. Part of her did want to vanquish Faith, to do it quickly, to finish it, just like Prue said. She was ready to do anything, just to get it to stop. She wanted so much to make Faith leave her alone, to keep Prue from looking at her with those sad, thoughtful eyes.  
"Piper, you can't blame yourself."  
"I can," she said finally as she stared at her sister, pleading for her to let it go. Piper could push it away, deny the hurt and the anger, just like she always had. But maybe things had gone too far this time. Maybe she couldn't ignore it now, not like she had before. Her voice shook as she glanced over at the picture. "I was the only one there, Prue. It was just me."  
She saw the look on Prue's face and suddenly realized what she had said. Piper wasn't sure how that had slipped in, why she had done that to her sister. It was no secret that Prue still felt guilty for being late, for staying at the auction house. And Piper had known that.  
"I'm sorry," she said, moving back towards the bed. She wasn't sure what she felt at that moment. She wasn't even sure if she was all that sorry. But Prue's crushed expression nearly broke Piper's heart. She couldn't bare to see that look anymore. "That's not what I meant."  
"I think maybe it is..." Prue said, her voice barely above a whisper.  
"Prue, please, I'm sorry," Piper said, wishing that she could take it back. But if there was one thing she had learned in life it was that time didn't reverse. She could freeze it, sure, but she couldn't go back. If she could, then they never would have gotten this far down the road. That night, she would have erased it long ago.  
"We might as well be honest with each other," Prue said finally. "I mean, there were days after when I was so mad at Phoebe for taking you there, for leaving that stupid spell with me."  
Piper nodded, knowing that she'd felt the same way. She looked over at the picture of little Phoebe, wrapped up in their mom's arms, and wondered how she could have ever been angry with her. Phoebe had tried to do good, to save that priest. Just because they had failed, that didn't make it her fault.  
"Piper?"  
She glanced over at Prue and as she did she saw the little girl from the funeral, her sister who had been so brave that day. And here she was trying to be brave again.  
"I was just thinking about that day, remember, when we were little and Mom had just..." Piper trailed off, glancing down at her hands. "I was so scared Prue, but you told me that you'd take care of me and Phoebe, that you'd be there because Mom wasn't. And I always remembered that. It was really sweet." Piper knew she'd been fooling herself, because Prue was right. She'd realized what Piper had never wanted to admit. "Maybe I do blame you a little, I don't know."  
"It's okay."  
"No." Piper shook her head. She was so mad now that she'd let Faith come between them, that she'd been able to harbor such anger towards her own sisters. "You can't take care of us all the time, not even Mom could do that. I should be able to deal with this on my own."  
"But you don't have to."  
"I need to," Piper said with determination. "You have to let us play the adults for awhile."  
"Well, I hope you're better at that role than you are at the Wicked Witch." Prue smiled as Piper laid down on the bed, resting her head in Prue's lap. Her older sister leaned down and kissed her, stroking her hair gently. "You're one of the nicest people I know Piper, and that's even before my sisterly bias," she said. "I know that you did the right thing and I'm gonna do whatever I can to make you see that."  
Piper nodded slowly, as her eyes wandered back to that picture. Finally she closed them, but as she did, she remembered that day at the funeral when she'd hidden behind the gravestone, crying because her world had just ended. And now it felt like it was ending again. She just wanted it to be over, for Faith to disappear and leave them alone. She'd killed her, but there was no doubt in Piper's mind that if she hadn't then the witch would have hurt Phoebe. She couldn't spend the rest of her life regretting something that she couldn't take back, even if she wanted to, which she wasn't so sure that she did. If Faith was still after her, then Faith was evil. And it didn't matter how many people she'd helped, or what she had done in the past.  
"So what do you want to do?" Prue asked finally. "We'll leave it up to you."  
"Let's finish it," Piper said, glancing back at the window. She could feel Prue's hand on her head, but Piper felt suddenly detached, like she was completely alone again. She saw a flash of lightning, signaling the return of the storm. "We can end this whole mess tonight."  
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Danny stood at the door, holding his breath. He wasn't ready yet, he was close, but he just needed a little more time. He'd barged into Flynt's room once before, and he'd paid the price for it. A Frisbee had come flying at his head, much to his cousin's delight. And then the ten minute lecture on why he should never, ever, come in again followed after. So now Danny stood there, studying the poster on the door, going over every detail of it with his eyes. Finally, he took a deep breath and reached for the door knob. As it turned in his hand, he wondered if Flynt had already noticed his arrival, if he would be ready for him. But it no longer mattered.  
Most of his evening had been spent thinking over what had happened at the gym, and now he finally knew what should have been obvious. Danny could feel his anger bubbling up. There, that was all he needed. He was finally ready. Giving the doorknob a final, vicious twist, he threw open the door.  
Ducking quickly, Danny heard something fly over his head. The object shattered on the wall behind him, but Danny didn't bother to see what it was. Instead, he marched into Flynt's room, refusing to let his fear get the best of him.  
"What do you think you're doing?" Flynt made a quick gesture with his arm and an oversized textbook sailed towards him. Danny dodged it easily, then raised his hand up into the air. Flynt's face contorted in anger as he was lifted off of the bed.  
"It was you, wasn't it?" Danny demanded. "You made Piper fall!"  
"You're crazy!"  
"You did it just to make me mad," Danny said, working hard to keep his voice from shaking. It was taking every ounce of his strength to hold his cousin there, but he certainly didn't want to publicize that fact. "You're always doing stuff like that."  
"Fine, whatever." Flynt shrugged in mid air. "Believe what you want."  
Danny glanced around the room, taking in the shelves upon shelves of magic books. There was a small dagger mounted on one wall, surrounded by various posters of rock groups and bikini clad women. And then Danny spotted what he'd subconsciously been searching for. The crystal that his uncle had given to Flynt, it had some special significance.  
Gritting his teeth, Danny slowly raised his other hand, causing the small rock to lift off of its perch on the bookshelf. If he let go of it, it would shatter into a million pieces. And then Flynt would kill him. But Danny was secretly hoping that it wouldn't get that far.  
"Danny, you'd better not be..." Flynt trailed off, his voice laced with worry. It was the first time Danny had ever heard him lose his cocky tone. And the younger boy was loving it. He lifted the crystal a little bit higher.  
"Tell me the truth."  
"Dad!" Flynt yelled suddenly, wriggling in the air. His expression was one of pure hatred, but Danny didn't care. He was still working to keep his concentration. If he lost his focus either Flynt or the crystal was heading to the floor, and he'd be in trouble.  
"What are you two doing?" Uncle Edward stuck his head into the room as he passed by. Seeing the situation though, he paused, and stepped inside. "Danny, what's going on here?"  
"Flynt made Piper fall just to mess with me," Danny explained. He caught sight of his Uncle's pointed look and frowned, reluctantly lowering the crystal to its assigned spot. But Flynt wasn't off the hook yet.  
"Did you do that?"  
"I wanted to see if he could use his power to catch her," Flynt said. "I didn't think he could do it yet. Turns out I was right." He gave Danny a cold smile. "You're just not powerful enough yet."  
That was all Danny needed. Letting his arm fall to his side, Danny couldn't help but feel some satisfaction as Flynt dropped from the air. He landed hard on his stomach, then slowly rolled over with a groan.  
"Oops," Danny said. "Guess I wasn't powerful enough."  
"Danny!" Uncle Edward glared at him as Flynt leapt to his feet. The older boy lunged at him, but his father stepped in before he could do any damage. "Don't you start with me either."  
"You saw what he just did!"  
"And I saw what you did today." Uncle Edward's voice was cold as he turned on his son. "You do not use your powers in public. There are people out there who will kill us if they find out."  
"Danny used his-"  
"You know better," Uncle Edward growled. "You're supposed to be training him, not the other way around. You want them to know who we are, what we can do?"  
"No," Flynt said. Now he was just sulking. Danny rolled his eyes at his cousin, then started to turn towards the door. But Uncle Edward grabbed him before he could step into the hallway, his talon-like fingers latching onto Danny's arm. He stared down at the boy, and Danny swallowed, realizing the trouble he was in.  
"We need to talk."


	24. Chapter 23

"I can't believe that we're in crisis mode here with Piper," Prue said. "And yet somehow we're out doing something else for this play that neither of us ever wanted to be involved in."  
"Did I mention that I'm really sorry about this?" Phoebe glanced over at Prue who was staring intently at the road. They came up to a turn and Prue jerked the wheel to the right. Phoebe instinctively grabbed for the door handle to steady herself.  
"Tell me again tomorrow morning when I'm trying to recover from sleep deprivation." Prue kept her eyes on the pavement and Phoebe started to get nervous as she saw the road curve again up ahead. An unhappy Prue was not a fun Prue to drive with. Phoebe had learned that lesson long ago.  
"Okay, Prue." Phoebe gritted her teeth as the tires squealed against the pavement. "Your car does not deserve this."   
"All right Phoebe, well neither do I," Prue said. "I signed up to say a few short lines to help a bunch of kids put on a play. Instead I got dressed up in gingham, bit by a vicious version of Toto, and called out at eleven thirty at night to clean up the mess you were supposed to take care of hours ago."  
"I did take care of it," Phoebe protested. She pulled down the visor and checked herself in the mirror, frowning at the circles under her eyes "Is it my fault that the munchkins decided to party down right before we wrapped?"  
"Yes." Prue nodded. "It is. You're the director. Your school, your kids, your clean-up job."  
"And my bitter big sister," Phoebe mumbled. She flipped the visor back up then looked out the window, avoiding Prue's eyes. "Look, I already told you. Mr. Beckert was supposed to close up."  
"Fine," Prue said. "But do you really think this play is going to be ready tomorrow, I mean the demon free, unhaunted, everyone's happy and human version?"  
"Yes," Phoebe insisted. Prue turned to her, giving her _the_ look. But Phoebe was getting sick of it. No one believed she could do it, they all just expected her to fail. She crossed her arms defensively, trying to push away her annoyance. "Okay, maybe it won't be Shakespeare, but I doubt anyone will be expecting perfection."   
"Well how about actors?" Prue said. "Because you're kind of missing the two main ones."   
"Hey, I've got a Dorothy all lined up-"  
"Thank god."   
"And Piper has agreed to reprise her role."  
"She has not."  
"Okay maybe she hasn't." Phoebe braced herself as Prue spun the car into a parking space. "But she will have by tomorrow."  
"You're horrible." Prue said, shoving open the car door. She waited for Phoebe to jump out, before she hit the lock button and stepped onto the pavement.  
"No I'm manipulative." Phoebe pointed at her. "There's a difference."  
"Uh-huh." Prue nodded as she started off across the parking lot. Phoebe hurried to catch up with her. She shoved her hands into her jacket pockets as she fell into step with her sister. "Let's just get this over with, okay?" Prue said. "I don't want to leave Piper alone for too long."  
"She's with Leo," Phoebe said. "She'll be fine."  
"Probably a lot better off than we are," Prue grumbled as they neared the gym door. "I mean she's in the nice, warm house, probably with a nice warm cup of coffee, maybe a blanket..."   
"All right, you hate me, got the point already." Phoebe pulled out the keys that the janitor had loaned her, and just as she was about to unlock the door, Prue pulled it open. Phoebe met her eyes, giving her a sheepish grin.   
"Guess someone forgot to lock the door."  
"Phoebe, I don't hate you." Prue put her hand on her sister's shoulder as she swung the door open. "But I really, really hate your play."   
"So I shouldn't save you a place tomorrow?"  
"Okay, I didn't say that," Prue said. "If Piper's gonna be the witch I expect a front row seat, with a good view of the stage, and ooh, maybe one of those popcorn buckets with the really good butter..."  
Her voice trailed off as she stepped into the gym. Phoebe sighed and followed her, letting the door close behind them.   
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"I've got nothing here." Piper flipped through a few more pages in the Book of Shadows, then closed it abruptly, her frustration nearly overcoming her. She'd been searching for almost an hour, only to find that the book was pretty much useless. Unless one of them wanted to die, Faith Evans had a permanent passport into her life.  
Piper glanced around the attic waiting for some inspiration to strike. When it didn't she stepped over to the old dusty trunk Leo was sitting on.  
"How about you?"  
"I'm getting the same as Prue. Great worker, nice person, beloved by the community... Someone wanted to nominate her for a peace prize," Leo read over one of the newspaper articles in the file Phoebe had left them. He didn't even notice Piper's icy stare. "Are you sure this woman tried to kill a priest?"  
"And me and Phoebe." Piper leaned down and ripped the article from his hands as Leo's head shot up in surprise. "So at this point I'd really like to concentrate on ending this already. I think the peace prize will have to wait."  
"I'm sorry." Leo closed the file. "I know this is hard."  
"No, the stage that I fell on today, that was hard." Piper saw his look of confusion and shook her head. "Not important. This, this is horrible. I mean I killed this woman, and now she's just trying to do the same to me. It seems strangely appropriate in the grand scheme of things."  
"Piper." Leo took her hands in his own, interlacing their fingers. "What we're doing here is protecting you, in the same way that you protected Phoebe."  
"Yeah, well it still feels wrong."  
"It's not," Leo said, letting go of her. Brushing off the dust from his pants, he stood and walked over to the stand where the book sat. "What I don't understand is why she came back now. Ghosts don't usually wait."  
"Why, what's the hurry?" Piper asked. "Is there an expiration date on haunting someone? You don't do it by the end of June and you get sent to the back of the line?"  
"Not exactly," Leo said. "But usually a ghost's presence is constant. They find the person they want and they just kind of latch on."  
"A supernatural leech." Piper rubbed her forehead. Oh yes, she could already feel the beginning of a headache. "This-this is great, wonderful really. I'm so very glad that I became a witch, just so I could experience moments like these."  
"Piper..."  
"I'm sorry." She threw up her hands. "I just- I can't really find the bright side to this."  
"No one's asking you to."  
"I know," she said. She could tell that he was worried about her, it was there in his eyes. If anything she needed to be strong for him, and for Prue and Phoebe. She couldn't let Faith get the best of her, at least not in front of them. "So, um, what were you saying about our ghostly visitor?"  
He didn't speak for a moment. He just stared at her, waiting to see if she was really all right. Finally Piper rolled her eyes, trying to get him to hurry along. He seemed to take that as a good sign because he quickly turned his attention back to the book.  
"Okay, well she only seems to be able to contact you at certain times, when you're most vulnerable," Leo said as he opened the Book of Shadows. He lifted his hands above the pages and Piper watched as they began to flip by themselves, faster and faster as he searched for the perfect spell. She stood on the other side of the book, feeling the air from the moving pages against her skin. "She only comes when you're thinking about her, when you're weaker."   
"So I should just switch off my thoughts? Turn out the light in the house of Piper?" She gave him a skeptical look as the pages stopped moving. He'd reached the end of the book and gotten the same thing she had: nothing. Piper sighed, her headache turning into a migraine. "Leo, you're not really helping."  
"Hey, I was going for explanation, not suggestion," he said quickly, obviously hurt by her tone. Piper nodded, trying to calm down. She knew she was being a pain. But she still held some reservations about this whole vanquishing thing, although death by the ghost formerly known as Faith Evans wasn't an idea that she relished either.  
"I'm sorry." Piper let her head drop down onto the Book of Shadows. How many times had she said that already? "I'm just having a really bad week, and I keep getting this feeling that it's only going to get worse."  
"Look at it this way," Leo said. "I mean, how much worse can it get?"  
"Don't say that." Piper lifted her head abruptly, her eyes widening. "That's the ultimate jinx!"  
"There is no such thing as a jinx." Leo smiled a little, and pushed her arms off of the book.  
"So there can be witches and curses, but you're gonna veto the jinx?"  
"This is what I'm saying." He looked from the pages, letting their eyes meet.. "Right now we've got to stick to the book. If you get jinxed then you can yell at me later."  
Piper gave him a tight smile. "I'll hold you to that."   
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Danny waited patiently by the door, his ear pressed to the cool wood. Finally, he heard the sound he'd been waiting for all night. His uncle was in the bathroom, which meant that he was getting ready for bed. Pretty soon he'd be asleep and Danny would finally get his chance. He couldn't help but grin in the darkness as the excitement swept through his body. Flynt was wrong. He was powerful, and tonight he would prove it.  
A slight feeling of guilt was there, nearly masked by the excitement. Just hours before Danny had promised his uncle that he would no longer use his magic, not until he was ready. Uncle Edward had been so angry at him, so worried that they would be found out. And maybe if the spell worked, people might suspect that something was wrong. But they would never think of Danny. He was too young, too innocent, too sweet. That's what everyone thought of him, like it or not. But it was time to break out, to take control of his magic, to use it as he wanted to.  
Danny padded back over to his bed and turned on the flashlight he'd left by his pillow. The book lay open on top of his comforter, flipped to the page with the spell.   
"Young at heart..." Danny read the title again, whispering it to himself, as if just saying the words might bring about some magical change. On the page across from the spell there was a drawing of a woman reaching out to touch a mirror. But her reflection was that of a little girl. Danny gripped the flashlight a little tighter. It would be perfect.  
Hearing the door to his uncle's room close, Danny knew he was ready. He couldn't do the spell here. If his uncle caught him, he'd be in trouble for the rest of his natural life, maybe even stripped of his powers. No, he'd have to do it somewhere else. Better to be caught sneaking out than to be caught casting a spell.  
He closed the book quickly, then turned back towards the closet. For just a split second he had that strange feeling again. He whirled around, ready to spot his uncle in the doorway. But no one was there. His door was still closed.  
Shaking off his unease, Danny slid the book into his backpack. He searched in vain for his jeans, then gave up and decided that for this outing his pajamas would have to do. Pulling his comforter up over his pillows, he pushed the rest of his bedding together until it formed the shape of a sleeping body. Danny stood back a second and admired his artwork. Then he shouldered his backpack and made his way towards the open window. A few feet away was a tree branch that he could just reach if he stretched his arm straight out into the darkness. Finally, Danny grasped the scratchy bark in his hands and he swung out towards the street below. 


	25. Chapter 24

"These munchkins were having far too good a time in Munchkinland," Prue said as she wandered around the stage, pointing her flashlight towards the curtain. The power had gone out again, of course, and they'd been lucky to find the flashlights stashed in the box of tools that Edward had left behind. Phoebe stepped in front of the beam for a second, then suddenly noticed her shadow. She danced around for a moment, watching her darker half play across the dark purple velvet. Prue couldn't help but giggle as she turned to regard her sister. "I don't know Pheebs. I think the kids might be rubbing off on you."

"Well, maybe if they'd rub off on you a little..." Phoebe said. Her sister shot her a look, but Phoebe just shrugged. "I'm sorry Prue, but you're kind of Miss Uptight around them."

"I am not!"

"In a Phoebe Poll two out of three students said Piper was less uptight than you-Piper, the girl who's been running around like a maniac griping about her costume, her lines, and just about everything else." Phoebe sighed, shaking her head sadly. "And still they think you're more uptight."

"Well, considering the age group, anyone who doesn't find fencing with lollipop props highly entertaining would probably seem uptight," Prue said. "And speaking of which..." Prue held up one of the oversized lollipop props. Half of the stick was missing. She tossed it at Phoebe who threw it into the garbage bag. "Whoa, déjà vu to yesterday. At this rate you're not going to have anything left for the play."

"Except hyper little kids." Phoebe unrolled the yellow carpet across the stage. Jason had probably been the ringleader for this little stage party. That was the last time she left Mr. Beckert in charge of closing up the gym after her. Phoebe heard a crack as she walked, and as she reached down she found the other half of Prue's lollipop. She tossed it in the bag. "I think I'd rather have the props though."

"Yeah, I bet," Prue stepped around the rainbow, and over towards the plywood forest. She turned and motioned the beam of her flashlight towards Phoebe. "I can't believe you got yourself into this."

"It's fun." Phoebe smiled as she hefted the garbage bag over her shoulder.

"No, Phoebe, fighting ugly, mean demons is fun." Prue gave her a pointed look, then grabbed for the other bag. The weight of the thing nearly knocked her off balance, and she groaned as she righted herself. "This is hell."

"All right Grams." Phoebe muttered. "Uptight again."

"Oh, that wasn't fair." Prue scowled at her as she threw the bag over her shoulder. "I mean Grams was right about somethings. Could you imagine what it must have been like to raise us? We were whiny, we were crazy-"  
"We were kids!" Phoebe said, a grin spreading across her face. Poor Prue, so very old for her age. _It must be a consequence of helping to raise us_, Phoebe thought, feeling a little bit guilty. "You are beginning to sound very, very ancient my sister."

"No, I am beginning to sound smart." Prue looked around the stage and Phoebe allowed her eyes to follow her sister's. In truth, the gym was a total disaster; with props and set pieces everywhere. It actually looked rather similar to the tornado aftermath of the previous day. Prue gestured around the stage. "They're completely wild. I mean what is wrong with kids-" Prue stopped herself, suddenly horrified as she dropped the bag. "Oh god." She glanced up at Phoebe. "You're right."

"I am so right." Phoebe put her arm around Prue. "You are getting old."

"Great, fine," Prue said quickly clasping her hands together. Phoebe saw the slightly nervous expression creeping across her sister's face. Phoebe could hardly blame her. The thought of turning into Grams wasn't a pleasant one. "It's not the end of the world, right?"

"Why yes, it is," Phoebe said. "But don't worry because your younger, cooler sister-"

"Oh you mean Piper?" Prue smiled, crossing her arms. Phoebe swung her trash bag at her as she started towards the curtain.

"So funny."

"Yeah, well Piper's got a boyfriend," Prue reminded her. "And you're playing with kids."

"Well I don't have a vicious ghost after me," Phoebe said, then turned slowly towards Prue. "You think she's okay, right? I mean, she didn't seem too upset about us finding out that Faith was good."

"I think she's okay," Prue said with a nod, her tone turning serious.

Phoebe knew that she and Piper had talked about everything. And for that she was glad. There were things that her sisters still had to work out. Prue had always been so protective of Piper, maybe even more so than she had been of Phoebe. Piper was more fragile, more sensitive. And it killed Prue every time she was hurt.

"She's fine," Phoebe said quickly, trying to ease Prue's worry.

"And she'll be even better when we get this thing settled."

"Hopefully it can wait until tomorrow," Phoebe said, glancing around. In less than twenty four hours there would be thirty kids running around all looking to her for advice on how to remember their lines and how to get on and off the stage without tripping. And she didn't think the parents would appreciate a repeat performance of her rather realistic tornado. If Faith could just hold off on her bitterness another day, Phoebe would be grateful.

"Maybe we'll get lucky," Prue said. "Piper and Leo might have found something already. Maybe we can vanquish her tonight."

"Maybe," Phoebe said, but she wasn't that optimistic. There was hardly ever a quick fix to these situations. She glanced back at Prue. "And until then sleepovers in Piper's room?"

"I'm sure she'll be thrilled."

Phoebe grinned and reached out to pull the curtain aside. But just as she did, she saw the flash. Closing her eyes, she felt her whole body tense as she gripped the soft fabric. Piper was standing in front of it, backing away from something. She was terrified, Phoebe could tell. But she couldn't see what Piper was scared of.

Phoebe bit her lip, tasting blood. Some strange energy force shot out from the darkness. It hit Piper right in the stomach and she collapsed to the floor, completely still. Phoebe sucked in her breath and slowly opened her eyes, as her body started to tremble. Prue's image came into focus after a moment, and Phoebe stared at her, unable to speak.  
"Phoebe, what is it?" Prue reached out and Phoebe gently grabbed her arm for support. But then there was the flash again. This time she didn't see the stage. She saw the attic. She and Prue were huddled over the Book of Shadows and they were laughing.

"Phoebe?"

"Oh god." Phoebe felt sick. A wave of nausea came over her and the shrill ringing in her ears was almost unbearable. "Two for the price of one."

"What?"

"Double header premonitions," Phoebe gasped, trying to catch her breath. "Pheeb TV's getting too many stations."

"What did you see?"

"Us..." Phoebe stared at the ground, trying to remember every detail. It felt like all the blood was draining out of her body.  
"We were laughing, up in the attic."

"Well, that's a good thing right?" Prue grabbed Phoebe's trash bag from her and started through the curtain. "I mean considering what you usually see-"

"And I think I saw Piper dying."

"Ugh, I knew it couldn't be that good." Prue immediately dropped the garbage bag and whirled around to face Phoebe.

"Can't you ever see us winning the lottery or something?" She pointed an accusing finger at her sister. "I don't think  
you've ever had a happy premonition."

"How do you think I feel?" Phoebe asked. "I've got death and destruction being broadcast in my brain. And The Powers  
That Be don't let me change channels."

"So Piper's going to die?"

"Well, I can't really be sure, but...I mean we'll stop it of course."

"Okay, well, we've just got to call her." Prue said hurriedly as she grabbed the cell phone from her pocket. It seemed to take an immense amount of effort for her to unflip the stupid thing and as she watched her sister fumble around, Phoebe's patience finally gave way. She grabbed the cell phone from Prue, opened it, and then handed it over. Prue hastily started to dial, then stopped, and started over again. "Oh god, what's our phone number?"

"It's okay," Phoebe said, trying to calm her down. Prue's protective side had shifted to overdrive. "She's okay."

"But you just said..."

"In my premonition she was here, and since she's not here right now..."

"Was it Faith?" Prue lowered her cell phone, forgetting about her call for the moment.

"I don't know." Phoebe said. "I couldn't see."

"All right fine." Prue took a deep breath. "At this point I'm not caring so much anyway. Let me just call Piper..." She slowly started to dial again, then brought the phone up to her ear.

"But in the premonition right after that we were laughing in the attic," Phoebe reminded her. "I don't usually have back to back premonitions Prue. It has to mean something."

"So what you're saying is that Piper's going to die, and we're going to have a great big funny fest over it?" Prue bit her lip as Phoebe nodded. "Oh, okay Piper, pick up the phone, pick up the-" Phoebe watched as Prue's face brightened and she moved the phone from one ear to the other. "Hello, Piper. Yeah, it's me. Listen, we're here at the school and-" She stopped.

"No, it wasn't too bad of a mess. Phoebe just neglected to mention that'd we'd have to set up the Munchkinland all over again."

"Hello?" Phoebe whispered in her other ear. "Piper dying, remember?"

"Oh right." Prue nodded. "Um, we kind of thought we should call because Phoebe just had this premonition." Phoebe watched as Prue hesitated a moment. Then she suddenly rushed ahead. "Well she sort of saw you dying here on the stage and then she saw us up in the attic laughing and-" Prue stopped abruptly, and brought her hand up to her eyes as she realized what she'd said.

"Oh, now that was delicate!" Phoebe grabbed the phone from her, and brought it up to her own ear. And Prue called her tactless. "Piper?" She didn't hear anything. "Piper, honey, you there?" But there was nothing but silence.  
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Piper waited a moment as Phoebe repeated her name for the third time. Glancing around she spotted the Book of Shadows, sitting uselessly on its stand. She knew she should have expected a call like this. Hey, evil, ghostly witches were hunting her. A premonition of her death was the next logical step. Wow, it was fun being Piper these days.

"I'm here, Phoebe," she said finally, as she wandered out to the stairs. "I just know that one night this week you're going to bring me happy news instead of death prophecies."

"Better the prophecy than the real event," Phoebe said. "But listen Piper, I had two premonitions this time and they've got to be connected."

"Yeah I heard," Piper said, remembering Prue's hasty greeting. "I was dying, you guys were laughing..."

"I feel like I should apologize for my future self."

"Well unless you have some hidden life insurance policy on me that I don't know about..."

"Piper, that's not funny."

"Nothing about our lives ever is," Piper mumbled, brushing her hair out of her eyes. She paused and leaned back against the wall, a little confused. "And you saw me at the school?"

"Right here on stage," Phoebe said.

"Well, maybe whatever kills me caught my performance. They probably thought I was advertising."

"Yeah, well, unfortunately whatever kills you didn't make a guest appearance in my vision," Phoebe said. "So I'm thinking you shouldn't come back to the school for awhile."

"I quit anyway, remember?"

"But I've been working on my pity speech all afternoon and I think I was really getting somewhere. You were my last hope as the Wicked Witch," Phoebe lowered her voice. "Do you think you could help me work on Prue here?"  
Piper laughed as she heard her older sister yell something in the background. Prue could only be pushed so far, and Piper was pretty sure that she wasn't going to model the conical hat.

"You don't have a chance Pheebs."

"Well I've got thirty kids who need me to try," Phoebe said quickly. Then she paused and Piper knew she was thinking over her premonition, probably wondering if she'd missed anything. "Hey," she said finally. "Why don't you ask Leo if he knows of any potential Piper killers?"

"Oh, um..." Piper bit her lip, then continued slowly, as she started back up the stairs again. She thought about lying to Phoebe, but her little sister always caught on to deception. Finally, Piper sighed, and closed her eyes, already anticipating Phoebe's response. "Leo's not here right now. He got called away."

"He left you there alone?" Phoebe's voice rose, and Piper was forced to pull the phone away from her ear. "I can't believe he'd do that."

"I told him to," Piper said quickly. "I'm fine."

"No, you're on evil's hit list," Phoebe said. "That's not fine."

"Well it'll have to do for now." Piper moved back into the attic, and stood before the Book of Shadows, only half listening to her sister's protests. "I'll keep looking in the book, okay? We can figure out a better plan when you come home."  
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This is getting old, Danny thought to himself. He pulled his backpack a little closer, then glanced around the tiny dressing room. Someone was there, somewhere. He could almost feel his or her presence. And for just one moment, he could've sworn he heard voices.

Danny shuddered, and slowly stuck his head out of the dressing room curtains. The tiny rooms had all been moved back behind the stage just in time for the big day. And now as he glanced around, all he could see was the back of the stage raised three or four feet above the floor. The curtain that separated the main stage from the back swayed a little, Danny held his breath, wondering if someone was about to walk through. But no one did, and everything was quiet again. He ducked back into the room, trying not to look at all the creepy masks and costumes piled up in one corner.

The door to the gym hadn't been locked when he'd sneaked in and so he'd been careful to make sure that the building was empty. Even in the darkness, the moonlight shining through the windows had done just enough to illuminate the empty stage. Danny was alone, he was sure of it. No one was due back at the school until the next afternoon.

Danny pulled off his jacket, pushing that tinge of fear into the back of his mind. Moving into the middle of the tiny room, he set up a few candles as the book had instructed, careful to keep them away from the costumes. As he lit the candles, the area surrounding him was flooded with a soft yellow glow and he stared at the tiny flames for a moment, watching them flicker and dance. A smile slowly spread across his face as energy surged through him. He had the power.

He sat there for a moment, letting the feeling soak through him. Then he glanced around, realizing that something was missing. There was no way to connect the spell to anyone in particular. He would need something of Piper's; that was the obvious answer. If he just had an item that belonged to her, then logically the spell would be placed on her; and her only. He glanced around, then spotted her costume on a nearby chair. He grabbed it and slid it over next to him.

Finally, Danny opened the book and laid it on the floor by his feet. The shadows from the candles moved slowly across the page, making it look as if the words themselves were alive and moving. He felt a rush as he began to read the spell's description.

"To make one forget all the worries and restraints of adulthood, and revisit the carefree spoils of youth..." Danny paused a moment. He took a deep breath then began to recite the spell beneath.  
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"Phoebe, really, everything is-" Piper stopped abruptly as a shiver ran down the length of her body. She whirled around, half expecting to see Faith Evans there, watching her. Maybe Phoebe was right, maybe she shouldn't be home alone. But even as Piper waited, alert and ready for a possible attack, no one appeared. Still something felt...off, different. And suddenly she realized that her sister hadn't said anything in awhile. "Phoebe?"

"Hmm?" It almost sounded like Phoebe was laughing. Piper blinked. Apparently her sister's concern only lasted so long. "I gotta go now, Piper."

"Wait, but-" Piper heard a click before she could finish. She stood there for a moment, the phone still pressed to her ear, too stunned to turn it off. Then slowly she lowered the phone, and stared at it. "Okay, fine." She punched the off button and went back to the Book of Shadows. If Phoebe was no longer worried, then neither was she.

Piper picked up the book and took it over to the chest that Leo had been sitting on. She didn't really expect to find anything in it, but she needed to try again anyway. Just standing around wasn't doing a whole lot to ease her anxiety. But as Piper set the book down beside her, she noticed the file that Leo had been looking through. She reached out and touched it gingerly, as if it might burn her. Then she picked it up and set it in her lap, opening it to the first article, the one Leo had been reading.

Piper's eyes ran over the text slowly, taking in every word. It was so hard, trying to connect the woman she'd seen that night to the woman the newspaper reporter had interviewed. There's hadn't been the slightest hint of malice in Faith Evans, at least not until that December.

Piper read all the way to the end and was relieved to find that the article never mentioned the woman's son. Piper couldn't let her sisters know the truth. She couldn't bear to see the looks on their faces if they discovered that she'd murdered someone's mother. The loss of their own mother was one of the most painful memories any of them had. And Piper had given that memory to somebody else. Somewhere out there was a child very much like the little pigtailed girl she knew so well.

That was the last time I space it out that much, sorry, I just don't have time for this.


	26. Chapter 25

"Hey, no fair!" Phoebe laughed as the stuffed Toto flew through the air, hitting her lightly in the side as she ran. Prue grinned wickedly and moved her arm again. Phoebe stopped and ducked as more things arced up and over her head, raining down on the stage behind her.  
Prue always gets everything, Phoebe thought, the best toys, the best clothes, and of course the best power. Phoebe grinned but she could feel the envy growing within her. She grabbed the broken lollipop from her garbage bag and held it out like a sword, taunting her sister.  
"On guard!"  
Prue giggled as the other half of the stick flew into her hand. Phoebe darted towards her and Prue held up her stick as Phoebe's lollipop clashed against it. They chased each other around the stage for a moment, looking like crazed swordsmen, but then abruptly Prue stopped. She dropped her stick, quickly surrendering even as Phoebe lunged forward. The younger girl slid to a halt on the stage, then frowned at her. "Why'd you stop?"  
"I don't know," Prue shrugged. "Didn't feel like doing that anymore."  
"Cuz I was winning!" Phoebe reluctantly tossed the lollipop back into the bag. "Spoil sport."  
Prue rolled her eyes then suddenly smiled. "I bet the ice cream place is still open!"  
Phoebe grinned as Prue jumped down off the stage, then took off across the gym. Phoebe leapt to the ground then ran after her, suddenly worried that Prue might leave her behind. It wouldn't be the first time. Prue had never liked a tag along.  
"Prue!" Phoebe yelled as her sister disappeared out the door. "Wait up!"  
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This time, Danny was sure he'd heard something. Quickly, he blew out the candles and tucked the book under one arm. If anyone was there, then he'd have to make a speedy break for it.  
Cautiously, he stuck his head out between the curtains once more. But the gym was still dark and empty. The noises had to have been his imagination... Or maybe it had been part of the spell. Danny smiled, maybe that meant it had worked. He knew he'd find out tomorrow. As soon as he saw Piper he'd know.  
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_Holding a dripping ice cream cone in one hand, Piper jogged after Prue, her pigtails blowing in the cool breeze. She paused for a moment as she stepped into a muddy puddle, and glanced down at the now soaked legs of her overalls. But it didn't really matter. Little girls were meant to get dirty, that's what her Mommy had told her._  
_Piper grinned, wondering what her mother would say when she saw the messy splatters of strawberry ice cream on her shirt. She'd probably just hug Piper, and shoo her away for a bath. That's just how it was, and that was just how Piper liked it._  
_"Prue!" She whirled around, trying to spot her older sister in the mess of trees and underbrush. She was pretty sure that Prue had been heading towards the lake, but wherever she was, Piper couldn't see her anymore. It was as if she had disappeared._  
_Piper stood there for a moment, angry with her sister for leaving her there. Prue was always doing that, leaving her behind. Piper could understand when they had to get rid of Phoebe, she was little and really slow. But Piper could keep up. It wasn't fair that Prue always ran off without her._  
_"Prue!" She turned around again, waiting for her sister to jump out behind her. But still there was nothing. Piper frowned as she finished off the rest of her ice cream cone. She quickly licked her fingers and started off towards the lake. She wasn't supposed to go there, but that was the direction Prue had been going. And where Prue went, Piper followed._  
_Piper looked down at her feet, careful not to trip over any of the long gnarled roots sticking out of the ground. She stepped around another puddle; then found her way back to the path they had started on. After a few more minutes of wandering she was down at the dock. But Prue wasn't there. Piper frowned as she stood there, staring out at the water. For some reason, the sight of the lake scared her, like her heart knew something her brain couldn't quite remember. Piper pressed her lips together, concentrating hard as her mind fought off her worry. She wasn't scared of the dock, she wasn't scared of anything._  
_Stepping out onto the slippery wood planks, Piper winced as the wood creaked beneath her. Each step caused her heart to beat faster, but she refused to turn back. Her mother had always told her to face her fears and even if she didn't know what that fear was, she wasn't going to run from it. Her tiny high tops slowly shuffled out towards the end, and Piper cast a sideways glance towards the water. It was starting to bubble and white foam shot to the surface as she stood there. Suddenly, Piper realized the truth. She wasn't ready, not yet anyway. But it was too late to escape._  
_Piper screamed as the water demon shot up next to her, towering over the child as she stood there, her feet glued to the dock. She closed her eyes, covering her face with her hands, as she felt a cool mist falling upon her. And then Piper remembered the horrible truth. She could see it then, her mom. The water demon was killing her, and then she was gone. Piper's mother was gone, dead, never to be seen again. Piper could feel the tears rushing to her eyes, and she slowly lowered her hands from her face. Piper swallowed hard, sobbing as she realized that she was alone. The demon, he had killed her mother, and now she was alone._  
_But she wasn't._  
_The water demon was long gone. But as she turned slowly, she caught sight of someone else standing all the way at the end of the dock. It was a woman, a woman who looked strangely familiar. Piper started to smile as she recognized her, but then she saw the dagger in her hands. Tiny drops of blood clung to the blade, and as each drop fell, it plunged down into the puddles that the demon had left behind, surrounding the woman in a dark crimson circle. Piper shivered, backing away as she stared at the blood. And then she got up enough courage to meet the woman's eyes, and to Piper's horror, she realized she was staring at herself._


	27. Chapter 26

She heard the beeping long before she bothered to open her eyes. After a minute or so Piper reached out from under her blankets and fumbled around. It took her a few seconds to find her snooze button, but as soon as her hand hit it she sighed in relief.  
Slowly, Piper pushed her comforter off of her head, and leaned over the side of her bed. No Phoebe, she thought as she glanced around her empty room. Then suddenly Piper sat up straighter. Her dream, she could barely remember it. That was certainly a first for the week.  
Against her better judgment, Piper tried to recall what she had seen, what had been playing through her mind just before her alarm had sounded. There was a quick flash of a forest and then- Piper shook her head. It was already gone. Maybe that was it. Maybe her dreams had returned to their run-of-the-mill origins. She certainly hoped so.  
Piper stood slowly, stifling a yawn as she stretched. Glancing at the mirror, she played with her hair, then finally pulled it back into a ponytail. There, she thought, now I'm at least presentable. Not that it mattered really, her sisters were the only ones home. Piper's eyebrows came together as she remembered the previous night. Actually, she wasn't even sure of that.  
As she wandered down the hall, she paused to knock on Phoebe's door. She had fallen asleep before they'd come back, and Piper had wanted to discuss the premonitions with them. But when she pushed Phoebe' door open, she saw that the room was empty and that the bed was already made. Prue's room was in the same condition.  
Both of them got up before me... Piper bit her lip. That can't be good. Phoebe was hardly ever up before she needed to be. So, either the demon issue was so pressing that they were already researching, or Phoebe had performed a small miracle just by making it out of bed.  
Piper knew she would find out soon enough. She made her way down the stairs and towards the kitchen, ready for her cup of coffee. She felt like a zombie, just going through the motions until her body decided to come back to life. But as soon as she reached the doorway, she stopped abruptly, suddenly alert. She stood there for a moment, blinking, wondering if she'd really woken up at all.  
_This has got to be a dream._ Piper thought. If it was then it was certainly an improvement over her previous ones, but only slightly. Piper pinched herself gently, but she wasn't waking up.  
"Oh my." Piper finally got the nerve to step into the kitchen. She looked around, her mouth falling open as she saw the extent of whatever had happened. There was flour everywhere, on the counter, on the floor. There were even big, white handprints on the cupboards.  
Piper pivoted slowly then moved over to the counter where a various assortment of boxes and bottles were lying around, their contents spilling out and onto the ground. As she stepped back away from the mess, she felt something sticky touch her bare feet. Piper groaned as she saw some brown syrupy stuff that had leaked from a bottle.  
"You have got to be kidding me." Piper looked around again, not knowing what to do. It was then that she glanced up and saw the brownish dough above her head. "What the-"  
Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of a familiar flash of white light. Good, she thought, someone to share the madness with. She whirled around to face Leo as he appeared next to her.  
"There-there is cookie dough on my ceiling!" She saw his stunned reaction as he glanced around, and Piper could almost laugh at the whole situation, almost.  
"What the hell happened here?" He looked from her, to the mess of dough on the ceiling, then back to her again.  
"I-I don't know," Piper stammered, trying to come up with a good explanation. But it was far too early in the morning for her to deal with the situation. Mornings were bad enough as it was. Throw in mass destruction, and Piper was ready to tune out. "I think-I don't know."  
"Well something must have happened."  
"Maybe Faith..."  
"I don't think so." Leo shook his head. "You would have known she would have wanted that."  
"Well, I don't know, maybe we've been robbed." Piper walked back over to the counter and checked the open drawers. Everything was empty, probably because whatever it had formerly held was scattered about the kitchen.  
"Robbed of what, exactly?"  
"Oh I don't know," Piper said as she slowly wandered around the kitchen. "My silverware... my sanity..." As she glanced back down at the floor she noticed a pair of floury footprints leading out the doorway. She followed them out to the living room and crossed her arms as she stood in front of the couch. "My sisters."  
"Oh." She heard Leo say behind her.  
Piper nodded, her thought exactly. Prue and Phoebe lay on the couch, still dressed in their outfits from the previous day. Only now their clothes were covered in flour and various ingredients that Piper couldn't even identify. The couch that they had spread themselves across wasn't faring much better.  
Piper leaned over and tapped them lightly. Phoebe was the first to open her eyes, and she smiled at Piper as she squatted down in front of them. Phoebe pushed her bangs out of her eyes with one floury hand, and Piper tried to hold back a smile as she made a streak of flour across her face.  
"Good morning," Phoebe said.  
"Yeah," Piper said quickly, clasping her hands together. A good morning, it really wasn't. "So Phoebe, our kitchen looks like a Julia Childs' special gone bad."  
"A who special?"  
"Okay, let's try this again," Piper said. "Remember when Prue was learning to cook and she had that whole dessert disaster, flying apples and flour and stuff?" Phoebe nodded. "Well the kitchen looks about the same, and I was kind of wondering why."  
"We made cookies," Prue said abruptly. Piper turned towards her. She hadn't even realized that Prue was awake.  
"Did the ceiling make cookies with you?" she asked. Prue narrowed her eyes and sat up slowly, a bitter expression crossing her face.  
"Why are you being so mean, Piper?" Prue said. "Who made you Grams?"  
"Hey!"  
"It wasn't my fault," Phoebe said. "Prue used her magic, and at first it was just a little flour, but then it kinda went everywhere." She smiled sweetly. "I just watched."  
"Tattle-tale!" Prue glared at her.  
"Well, it was your fault."  
"Nuh-uh! You threw flour first."  
"Wait, stop!" Piper held out her hands as she stood. "You just used Nuh-uh in a sentence." She turned back to Leo, who was still standing in the doorway, looking rather lost. "What the hell is happening here?"  
Phoebe's eyes widened and she pointed at Piper. "You said hell!"  
"Yes I did," Piper said. "And I'm beginning to think that that's where I am."  
"I can't believe you told her!" Prue hit Phoebe with a pillow. "You didn't tell her about-" Prue stopped, casting a sideways glance at Piper, before looking back at Phoebe. Phoebe shook her head abruptly.  
"What?" Piper said. She knew the secret language just as well as they did. And that expression meant that they were keeping something big from her, something potentially disastrous. "What didn't you tell me?"  
"Nothing!" Prue jumped up off the couch and pushed past Piper on her way to the stairs. "Just that Phoebe's a big baby tattle-tale!"  
"Prue!" Phoebe's mouth dropped open, and Piper covered her face with her hands, a sense of exasperation taking hold of her. Oh this was going to be fun, she could already tell. She was ready to hit the fast forward button and skip through the rest of the week. As she lowered her hands Phoebe hopped over the back of the couch, causing a huge cloud of flour to rise up above them.  
"I think we have a problem," Leo said as she turned back to him.  
"I think you're right," Piper muttered. She watched as Phoebe stumbled up the stairs after Prue. A moment later she heard yelling, and then a long shriek. Piper rushed over to the bottom step just in time to see Phoebe racing back down, clutching the stuffed Toto. She caught sight of Piper and ducked behind her as Prue appeared at the top of the stairs.  
"Give him back!" she shouted.  
"No!" Phoebe peeked out around Piper, who winced as the girl's fingers dug into her sides. "He's mine!"  
"I said give him back!"  
Phoebe shook her head, determined not to give in. But as Prue waved her arm, the little Toto floated up into the air. Prue smiled and marched the rest of the way down the stairs. She waited for a moment before the dog fell gently into her arms.  
"You always do that!" Phoebe pulled on Piper's arm. "Tell her she can't do that! It's not fair!"  
"Is too fair. I've got the better power!" Prue gave her a smile of superiority, and Piper could see Phoebe bristling with anger. Piper really couldn't blame her.  
"Do not!"  
"Do too!"  
"Okay, that's it! Give me that!" She tried to grab the dog from Prue. Her older sister struggled to hold onto it. "Let go-let it-"  
Prue released it and Piper was nearly knocked off balance as she pulled it away. Grabbing the banister with one hand, she looked over at Leo who was still standing there, watching with some sort of weird fascination.  
"Are you going to help me here?"  
"Uh sure, but-" Leo glanced from one sister to the other then moved a little closer to Piper. He lowered his voice. "What do you want me to do?"  
"I'm open to suggestions," Piper said as Phoebe ripped Toto away from her. By the time they realized what had happened she was halfway up the stairs again.  
"That's mine!" Prue stomped after her.  
"All right." Piper closed her eyes. Well, it wasn't a dream, it was weird, but unfortunately it wasn't a dream. She opened her eyes again, happy to see that Leo was still there. At least he hadn't bailed on her. "If this isn't supernatural then I have some mighty big problems-"  
The doorbell interrupted her and Piper gritted her teeth as the sound of running footsteps came from above.  
"Door!" Phoebe shouted as she and Prue bounded back down the steps. They rushed past Piper and headed for the door.  
"Oh god-wait!" Piper lunged at them as Phoebe grabbed for the doorknob. They had the door partially open before Piper could slam it closed again. She hastily stepped between them and the door, trying to push them back. "Why don't you not do that right now?"  
Glancing around, she tried to think of some sort of distraction. Finally, her eyes set upon Leo. He shook his head as he seemed to realize what she was thinking.  
"Open the door!" Phoebe insisted.  
"Okay, why don't I open the door and you guys go play with Leo?"  
Prue glanced over at Leo then shrugged and wandered back into the living room. The cool and collected one, Piper remembered. Prue had always liked to pretend that she didn't care about anything. Phoebe, on the other hand, was much more direct and her eyes widened at Piper's suggestion. She leaned towards her sister and dropped her voice to a whisper.  
"But he's a boy!"  
"He's a nice boy though." Piper tried to ignore the doorbell as it rang a few more times. "I bet he'll play dolls with you."  
She saw Leo's surprised expression and Piper made a silent mental note to apologize later.  
"Okay, but he has to dress up."  
"Dress up?" Leo shook his head and Piper waited for that shimmering light to engulf him. _Oh, he's bailing_ she thought, I've lost him now. But he stood his ground, looking rather uncomfortable. "Piper, I-"  
"Okay, fine." Piper pushed Phoebe towards Leo as the doorbell rang for the sixth or seventh time. She'd nearly lost count. "Go-play. Have fun!"  
She waited for Phoebe to drag him out of the room before turning around and opening the door. Her neighbor was standing there, a very angry expression on her face. Piper couldn't remember her name no matter how hard she tried, so instead she plastered on her sweetest smile and waited for the woman to say something. But not one sound escaped her lips as she held up a broken piece of plastic, shoving it in Piper's face.  
"Uh-hi."  
The woman just glared at her.  
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	28. Chapter 27

Piper gripped the piece of plastic tightly in her hands as she closed the door. Taking a deep breath, she leaned back against the smooth wood, closing her eyes as she did. _A thousand dollars_, she thought. Oh that was coming out of Prue's paycheck, if she could ever get Prue back to normal again.

"Piper!" She heard Leo's voice, but didn't bother to open her eyes. She was still in her pajamas. It was still morning. All of the Piper-ing was just going to have to come to a halt. Her sanity needed time to catch up with her. "Piper!"

"What?" she groaned as she opened her eyes. Leo was standing there in front of her, looking anxious. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, a sheepish expression on his face.

"I think I made Prue cry."

"Prue doesn't cry," Piper said. "Unless…" Her eyes widened. "Oh god, she didn't kill Phoebe did she?"

"No, I just told her to share her doll," Leo explained. "I mean Phoebe was upset so I told her to hand it over, and things started flying."

"Yeah, well, first-borns are never fond of sharing."

"That's not exactly something they teach in Whitelighter School," he said. Piper certainly had to give him that. Poor Leo seemed wildly out of place as the new Halliwell babysitter. Bet this wasn't in his job description, she thought.

"Prue'll get over it," she said. "I wouldn't worry too much."

He nodded, and Piper could see the relief in his eyes as he took a step closer. He gestured at the plastic shard she held in her hand.

"What's that?"

"Oh, just a little piece of our neighbor's taillight," Piper said, trying to forget the angry speech the woman had prepared for her. "Prue's car is parked on the other side of the street, and big shock, it's missing a fender. But apparently it's holding Mrs. Teasly's on." She sighed. "Unfortunately it's the only thing holding it on."

"So their driving skills went down with their mental age?"

"Yes," Piper said. "It would seem that way." She handed him the piece of plastic, and pressed his fingers closed around it. Then she gave him a tight smile. "You know Leo, I was remembering something you said last night. Something about jinxes, how they don't exist, how things couldn't possibly get worse..."

"Umm..." He smiled a little as Piper took a step forward, pushing him back. "Well you know, I wasn't exactly-" Piper just nodded, watching him get more and more flustered. And then he stopped abruptly as she forced him into the wall. "Am I in trouble?"

"Phoebe!" Prue's voice sounded through the house. "I said no!"

A crashing sound followed and Piper's heart sank. She hurried into the living room, Leo in tow. Prue sat over towards one corner, and as they came in, a guilty expression appeared on her face. She had used her power again, Piper could tell. The couch had slid halfway across the room, and the table had been smashed in by- Piper gasped as her eyes went to the floor.

"Phoebe!" She moved around the scattered furniture and knelt down by her sister. Phoebe blinked up at her, a small smile creeping across her face.

"Piper," she said breathlessly. "I flew!"

"Yeah, into a table." Piper shot a vicious look at Prue, then glanced back down at her sister who was trying to sit up. But Phoebe wasn't having much luck in that department, so instead she lay back on the floor. Piper looked Phoebe over, checking for cuts and bruises, then held up her hand. "All right, how many fingers?"

"Three," Phoebe said. Piper looked from her four outstretched fingers to Leo.

"No such thing as jinxes, huh?"

Leo nodded. "I'll get the car."  
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Danny let his hands slide down the smooth railing as he took the steps two at a time. He'd never been too fond of the basement, with Carson's collection of antique weapons, but he'd learned to get used to it. Even though the rows of gleaming blades along the wall caused a shiver to run down his spine, he was always a little in awe of them all. It was an impressive display, one that commanded his respect. One of those weapons up there had his name on it. He had been promised it when the time came, when he was deemed worthy of its power.

"Ah, there you are."

Danny heard his uncle's voice as he descended the rest of the way. One tiny window provided a small amount of illumination that reflected off of the daggers. But other than that, the room was encased in shadows. It took a moment for Danny to spot his Uncle. He stood over in the corner, polishing one of the larger swords. He held it up, turning it slowly, as Danny wandered over to him.

"I finished mowing the lawn. But Carson said you wanted me."

"Yes, indeed," Uncle Edward said, putting the sword back on the table. He finally turned to regard Danny. "What you've done in the last two days, using your powers-"

"I know," Danny bit his lip. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that to Flynt."

"Let me finish," he said. Slowly he reached out, and put his hand lightly on Danny's back. Then he pushed him gently, guiding him over to the wall. "You've shown a remarkable surge of strength in the last few weeks."

"I still can't control it though," Danny said, a little embarrassed. But if he lied his Uncle would know. He seemed to know about everything. "It just sort of happens."

"That will change with time." He stopped and gestured up towards the collection of weapons. Danny felt that sense of awe rush through him again, pushing out the fear that had so often gripped him before. "These are our heritage, what each of us has used to make our own transition. And now…" he glanced down at Danny. "Now it is time for yours."

Danny felt a grin spreading across his face. They hadn't mentioned it in so long, he'd begun to wonder if they had been kidding him. But Uncle Edward didn't seem to be kidding him now. There was a stern, serious expression on his face. Danny tried to match it, but he couldn't hide his smile. The power was soon to be his.

**Submitter's Note**: Hey guys, anyone want to finish the story? If not, it won't be finished. I have to move from my "unsafe" home or whatever soon. I'll send the document to whoever wants it.


	29. Chapter 28

**Submitter's Note: **Hey guys, I'm back for a bit. I guess the other person never continued this so I'll try to add some more for a while.

"See, told you you'd be okay." Prue sat up in the bed and nodded for Phoebe to do the same. She fluffed their pillows, and together they leaned back against them once more. But Phoebe still wasn't speaking to her. Prue cast a sideways glance in her direction as Phoebe crossed her arms over her hospital gown. "Well, you kept trying to take Toto."  
"You didn't have to throw me into a table."  
"You got to fly," Prue reminded her. If it hadn't been for Piper freaking out on the way over, that would have been enough for Phoebe. But she'd taken a cue from their middle sibling, and now she was upset.  
"I didn't want to fly."  
"Yes you did," Prue insisted. But Phoebe turned away from her, looking over towards the wall. Prue shrugged and stuck the sucker the doctor had given her into her mouth. She licked it for a second then held it out to Phoebe. "Want some?"  
"No." Phoebe pulled the hospital blanket up around her knees, still glancing around the otherwise empty room. "Where'd Piper go?"  
"She's out in the hall with Leo."  
"Ooooh." Phoebe's face broke into a grin and Prue knew she was off the hook. Phoebe could never stay mad for long, especially when there were more interesting things going on. And to Phoebe, Piper and Leo were quite interesting indeed. "I bet they're kissing."  
"Are not!" Prue laughed and took the pillow out from behind her head, swinging it gently at her sister. With a giggle, Phoebe grabbed it away from her. "They're talking about you silly. They think I squished your brain or something."  
"No, they think you squished the car," Phoebe said, then smiled a little. "But you did squish the car. And Piper's gonna kill you."  
"She can't kill me," Prue said. But then she remembered the angry look on Piper's face as they'd driven to the hospital, and suddenly wondered if Phoebe was right. The last thing she needed was a bitter Piper bothering her. "You think I should hide?"  
"No."  
"But Piper can be such a baby. She gets all mad about everything."  
"Uh-huh." Phoebe looked down as her expression turned to one of sadness. "But I think she's mad at both of us." Prue watched Phoebe pick at Toto's fur. They had brought him along to the hospital, and Prue had finally handed him over. She felt a little guilty now, and she put her arm around Phoebe.  
"Maybe it's 'cause of your premonitions."  
"What premonitions?"  
"The ones with..." Prue stopped, trying to remember what she'd been meaning to say. But she'd already forgotten. She knew that Phoebe had had some kind of premonition the previous night, but she had no idea what it had been about. "……….Something was happening."  
"Hope it wasn't important," Phoebe said as she hugged Toto.  
Prue shrugged and stuck the sucker back into her mouth.  
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Piper tried not to look at the tear in the doctor's jacket as he shook her hand. He nodded a little and gave her a pleasant smile, but Piper could see the wary expression he was trying to hide. He probably thinks we're all crazy, she thought. And with the way things were going, he might not be wrong.  
She watched as he turned, passing his charts from one hand to the other, so that he could rub a spot on his arm. Piper gave him a sympathetic look and apologized again. But he didn't say anything as he turned and walked down the hall. Another moment and he had disappeared through a door, probably praying that'd he'd never have to see them again.  
"That could have gone better." Piper said as Leo came down the hall from the opposite direction. In his hands, he had five or six types of candy bars and Piper's eyes widened as he held them out to her.  
"I thought maybe these might be good," he said. "You know make Phoebe feel better."  
Piper loved him all the more for trying to help. She smiled as he glanced down at the candy with that same sheepish expression that she had seen earlier. He scratched his head, his face turning redder as he seemed to realize how much he held.  
"Well there were kind of a lot and I really wasn't sure which one to get. I didn't want to make her mad so I-"  
Piper nodded as he rambled on. It was so cute that he knew everything about demons and warlocks, but couldn't decide what kind of candy to bring to her little sister. That was just Leo, and that's why she loved him. He was so wonderfully knowledgeable in somethings, and so blissfully ignorant in others.  
"Maybe I'll just take those for now," she said finally as he handed the candy bars over. She quickly stowed them away in her purse. "I doubt those two need any more sugar."  
"Good point." Leo nodded, then stuck his hand in his pockets, still a little embar-rassed. "So what'd the doctor say?"  
"Well, they did a bunch of X-rays to make sure nothing was broken, but it looks like all she just got a bump on the head," Piper said. "We can go when we're ready."  
"So Phoebe was okay with everything?"  
"Well, not exactly. She wasn't too, um, big on the examination part," Piper said, remembering the look on the poor doctor's face as he'd tried to check over her sister. "Phoebe bit his arm."  
"She what?" Leo's face broke into a smile and Piper couldn't help but smile herself.  
"And that was after she tore his jacket." Piper nodded. "Phoebe was always a little scared of doctors."  
"I bet that was a surprise for him."  
"Oh, I'm sure it was." Piper glanced down at the forms that the doctor had given her. And the total cost of Phoebe's little mishap had been quite the surprise for her. Whatever was going on was causing her bank account to drop substantially by the hour. She almost liked it better when the demons attacked. At least then it was cheaper.  
"Okay, so do we have any idea why this is happening?" Leo said. Piper almost laughed at the question. But then again, nothing about this was funny. It was just aggravating. Yes, she was aggravated now. Her sense of humor only lasted as long as her money did.  
"You really want the recap?" she said. Leo didn't respond, so she took that as a yes. "Well, last time on Piper's Wild and Crazy Life, Phoebe and Prue were trying to convince me that some sort of Vargo demon wanted me dead. Then there was the nice little subplot where a ghost was haunting me. And it all built into last night's cliffhanger when Phoebe had a premonition that some unforeseen force murdered me on stage."  
"Oh."  
"You know you keep saying that, but it's really not helping."  
"Well, obviously Prue and Phoebe are under some kind of spell," Leo said. "Something that turned them into children."  
"You think?" Piper pushed open the door for him, just in time to see Phoebe leaping up on the bed. Prue still sat there, but now as she moved one finger, a line of tongue depressors lifted off of the table and danced through the air. They all dropped though as she caught sight of Piper, and lifted her other hand to wave. Piper smiled and closed the door, whirling around towards Leo.  
"What am I going to do?"  
"Finding out who cast the spell might help," Leo said. He was back in his whitelighter zone and seemed much more comfortable in his old capacity as their guidance man. "Is it possible they did it to themselves?"  
"I don't know," Piper said. "But I don't get this. We were never like this as kids. I mean we were a little energetic but I don't think we ever did bodily harm."  
"I doubt their powers are helping things much," Leo said. "The spell didn't have to turn them into how they actually were as children..."  
"It just had to turn them into children." Piper finished for him. She thought about that for a moment. It made sense, kind of. But so far everything had been about her, her ghost, her death, her crummy week. Now that something had happened to her sisters, her fear was beginning to overcome her annoyance. This had obviously happened for a reason, and knowing how things usually worked, Piper was convinced that the reason wasn't good.  
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"Piper and Leo sitting in a tree!" Phoebe grinned as she bounced to the beat of her chant. Piper quickly moved towards her bed, trying not to meet Leo's eyes. "K-I-S-S-I- "  
"Okay." Piper grabbed a hold of Phoebe's hospital gown, careful not to tug too hard on the flimsy fabric. "That's enough, sicko."  
"She's just having fun," Prue said, her voice wavering a little as the bed bounced beneath her. "Leave her alone, Piper."  
"Oh, this coming from the girl who tossed her across our living room." Piper gave her a pointed look. "And yes I know about the car, so don't start with me now."  
"I didn't mean it," Prue said sullenly. "Mrs. Teasly's car just appeared. And mine wasn't ready to stop yet."  
"Okay, Phoebe, this jumping thing's getting old," Piper said. But Phoebe wasn't listening. She was off in a world of her own, grinning like a fool as she flew up into the air. Turning to one side, Phoebe took another huge leap, and her hospital gown began to fall open. Piper's eyes widened as she reached up to close it, desperately trying to pull her little sister back to a sitting position. She could see Leo a few feet away, attempting to avert his eyes, his face turning a deep shade of red. "I think it's time to put some clothes on."  
"No!"  
"Phoebe!" Piper gritted her teeth, still clutching the sides of the gown. But Phoebe continued to jump, her head barely missing the ceiling. Prue just lay on the bed, a huge smirk on her face.  
"Piper and Leo sitting in a tree!" Phoebe started again, louder this time. Piper bit her lip. The entire hospital staff could probably hear her by now. It was time to pull out the big guns.  
"Phoebe Halliwell," Piper said firmly. "Do you want me to send you to your room when we get home?" Phoebe stopped abruptly and looked down at her, trying to decide if her sister was bluffing. Piper narrowed her eyes as she stared up at Phoebe. "Don't think I won't do it!"  
"All right," Phoebe said, her shoulders slumped in defeat as she got down off the bed. She slowly made her way over to a chair and picked up her clothes. Then she slipped into the bathroom.  
"And make sure your shirt is on forwards this time," Piper called after her. For a moment, she thought she heard an echo in her head. And then came the serious case of deja vu. Piper's eyes widened as she turned back to Leo.  
"Oh god, I've become my mother...to my mother's children." She lowered herself into a chair. "Oh this can't be good."  
"No, Mom was nicer," Prue said. "You're just mean. Who made you boss anyway?"  
"Hey, I didn't sign up for this job," Piper muttered. In fact, she'd much rather have been one of the kids. How had she gotten stuck playing babysitter anyway? Prue would've been much better at it, at the least the old Prue would've been. "Do you even realize what's happened to you?"  
"Nothing's happened to me," Prue insisted. "You're the one who got mean. Phoebe and I just wanted to have fun."  
"So the fact that you can't drive and that your handwriting is nearly unreadable, this doesn't bother you?" Piper sat down on the bed next to Prue, even as her sister pushed away from her. "It's not strange at all?"  
"See?" Prue glanced over at Leo, ignoring Piper's question. "Mean again."  
"Okay, that's it, which floor is the mental ward on?" Piper allowed herself to lay back on the bed. She brushed her hair out of her eyes, wishing that she'd had more time to sleep in, to prepare herself for what was ahead. "I'm ready to check myself in."  
"I'll help you pack," Prue said with a smile. Piper made a face at her, then rolled over just in time to see Phoebe emerging from the bathroom. Piper's eyebrows rose as she saw the tag sticking out of the front of her shirt.  
"Phoebe..." She stopped abruptly, then gave up with a sigh. It just wasn't worth it. She wearily pushed herself up into a sitting position, then slid to the floor, grabbing her purse. Tucking the tag into the front of Phoebe's top, she glanced over at Leo. "Let's just go home. We can figure out the rest of this later."  
"Sounds good to me."  
"You know I think I'd rather go back to being haunted."  
"Haunted?" Phoebe looked suddenly worried. "Who's haunted?"  
Piper nodded at her, but kept her eyes trained on Leo. "Can't remember what happened yesterday, but can remember how to put a car into gear and drive it into the neighbors Mercedes."  
"We can go to the ice cream store, right?" Prue stood next to her as Leo led the way out the door. Piper shook her head quickly, pulling her keys from her pocket. "No."  
"Why not?"  
"'Cuz I said so," Piper pushed her gently out the door, even as Prue turned on her. She crossed her arms as she stared at her sister.  
"But I'm older than you."  
"Oh, don't I wish you were..?" Piper muttered.  
"Well, can I drive then?" Prue brightened, a grin spreading across her face.  
Piper didn't even bother to answer.


	30. Chapter 29

**Submitter's Note: **Well, since I don't know how long this'll last, I'll add a lot at a time. Please don't feel overwhelmed, just review when possible.

"So, ghosts, premonitions of ghosts, none of this is ringing any bells?" Leo pushed the front door open for Phoebe, a single grocery bag in his hands. Piper watched as the girl skipped the rest of the way up to the house, then leapt through the doorway, landing beside him. Apparently the bump on her head hadn't done too much damage.  
"Nope, no ghosts." Phoebe shook her head. "My last premonition was of..." She paused to think about it for a moment. As she did, Piper stepped into the house, carrying two bags piled high with food. There was a tearing noise, and Piper felt the weight shift in one bag as the bottom fell out of it. While trying to catch its contents, the other bag tumbled to the floor, and suddenly Piper was ankle deep in groceries. "Oh that!" Phoebe smiled. "That was in my last premonition."  
"Thanks for the warning." Piper frowned as Prue came up behind her and waded straight through the food. She grabbed Phoebe's hand and pulled her away from them. Then she leaned over and whispered something in her sister's ear, causing Phoebe to giggle.  
"Shh!" Prue silenced her, before Phoebe had the chance to reply. Nodding over to Piper, Prue made a face, then started up the stairs, dragging Phoebe along for the ride. Piper watched them go as Leo bent down to help her collect up the groceries. "I think she just said you had cooties," Leo told her.  
"She's still bitter that I floored the car when I saw the ice cream store." Piper tossed a few of the items back into the remaining bag, as Leo balanced the rest in his hands. "I don't know why though." Piper stood. "We somehow managed to pick up three cartons of mint chocolate chip at the grocery store."  
"I told you not to stop there." Leo followed her into the kitchen then dumped the groceries out on the counter, amidst the pile of boxes and dirty dishes that they'd never had the chance to clean up. Piper stepped around the sticky mess on the floor as she worked to sort through the food.  
"Aren't you the one who bought them the candy bars that mysteriously disappeared from my purse?"  
"A few candy bars and an aisle full of chocolate are two very different things."  
"You could have kept them in the car like I asked." Piper grabbed two boxes of cookies from the stack and put them on the cupboard shelf next to Phoebe's unopened box of granola. Piper sighed. The cereal would probably be staying that way.  
"This is ridiculous." She closed the cupboard again, hoping that her sisters wouldn't find the cookies for at least a few hours. "I mean I needed one little thing, and I come home with enough sugar to keep them hyper for a month." She turned back towards the pile, surveying it with disgust. "How do people say no to their kids?"  
"Well, it generally helps if the kids can't send the food flying from the top shelf into the cart."  
"She didn't."  
"She did." Leo held up three bags of chips. "Do you remember grabbing these?"  
"Oh god, did anyone see her?"  
"No, I think we're safe for now."  
Piper shook her head and gave up on the groceries. Prue and Phoebe would be down within minutes, pawing through them anyway. And the day is only half over, she reminded herself.  
Slowly, she made her way over to the table and sat down, putting her hands over her face as Leo took the seat across from her.  
"A crash course in Wiccan parenting," she said, rubbing her eyes. "Oh, the things I have to look forward to."  
And the things _we_ have to look forward too, she added silently, wondering if Leo was thinking the same thing. Who could tell what whitelighter blood would add to the mix? For all Piper knew their kids would be tossing things around with their minds, and then orbing out just before she could catch them.  
"It could be worse-" Leo started.  
"No," Piper stopped him immediately. "Don't even say that. So far today I have one wrecked vehicle, two little sisters, and enough food to open my own grocery store. Let's not forget the five bags that are still in the car." Piper sighed, clasping her hands together. "All I want now is a way to change them back."  
"I don't know," Leo said. "I've seen these kinds of spells before. They're amateur, the kids stuff of the supernatural world. It should wear off soon enough."  
"Okay, how long are we talking here?"  
"Maybe a few days." Leo shrugged. Piper could see that he was uncomfortable. He certainly didn't want to be the one giving this information. He looked down at the table, avoiding her eyes. "Maybe a week-or two."  
"A week?" Piper's mouth fell open. The idea of six more days of kitchen destruction and Phoebe being tossed through the house, was enough to make her sick to her stomach. "But we have lives. I have a life."  
"Unfortunately, I think it's going to-" Leo was interrupted by the ringing phone. Piper sat there for a moment, automatically waiting for one of her sisters to pick it up. Then she realized what she was doing.  
"Oh no!" She grabbed for the phone, but as soon as she held it up to her ear she could hear Prue's voice.  
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"You want a picture of who?" Prue wrinkled her nose, twisting the phone cord around her fingers. Phoebe tried not to laugh as Prue stuck her tongue out, then abruptly returned to the conversation. Phoebe wandered around her sister's room, happy that Prue was too distracted to stop her.  
"But he's ugly!" Prue said. There was a long pause as she held the phone away from her ear. Her eyes widened as she glanced over at her sister, then started to pace.  
"He's yelling, isn't he?" Phoebe asked, grabbing Toto from her chair. Prue just shook her head and turned away towards the wall, completely ignoring her.  
"If that's what you really want," she continued. "I'm just telling you that he's ugly that's all. He doesn't even have a girlfriend. All famous people have girlfriends." Phoebe giggled as she lay back on Prue's bed, straining her ears to hear the rest of the conversation. "Fine, I'll be there soon."  
"Prue!" Phoebe whispered, propping herself up on her elbows. But Prue waved her off again. Phoebe sighed and collapsed back on the bed. If Prue wanted to make Piper mad, then that was her problem.  
Phoebe closed her eyes for a moment, suddenly wondering how Piper had become the mom of the house. She and Prue had pretty much gone along with what Piper had said, _but_ there was no real reason why they should have to. I'm only a couple years younger, Phoebe thought, _why does she get to be boss?_ Maybe just because she was Piper. Phoebe had always listened to her. Prue on the other hand...  
Phoebe turned her head to the side and watched as her sister hung up the phone. And then Piper appeared in the doorway, a suspicious look on her face.  
"Who was that?"  
Phoebe saw Prue scowl at her, then walk over to the closet to grab her jacket. She wasn't going to share.  
"It was her boss," Phoebe filled in. "Prue's gotta go to work."  
"Mr. Corso wants me there now," Prue said finally.  
"Uh-no." Piper shook her head and Phoebe saw Prue tense up. She felt like some kind of spectator, waiting anxiously to see what would happen. For once, she wasn't the one who was clashing with Prue. It was Piper's turn now and she was going at it full force. "Until we get this mess straightened out we're all on lockdown."  
"He's my boss." Prue pushed past her. "You're not."  
"Prue, don't be mean," Phoebe said, wishing that Prue could be nicer to Piper. "You'll make her sad."  
"Not sad. Mad. I'll make Piper mad," Prue corrected, ignoring their middle sibling. "But I don't care."  
"You're not going..." Piper called after her as Prue slipped into the bathroom. Phoebe never heard Prue's response, but from the look on Piper's face she knew it hadn't been nice. After a moment Piper sighed, then turned her attention back to Phoebe.  
"How are you doing?" she asked softly. "Your head still hurt?"  
"A little." Phoebe shrugged as she finally sat up. The truth was she didn't feel too bad, but she liked it that Piper was worried about her. "I just feel kinda..." She trailed off as she saw someone across the room, a woman who looked vaguely familiar. She blinked as the woman regarded her, then seemed to turn her gaze onto Piper. Phoebe pushed herself back until she was sitting against the headboard. Her heart started to race as she stared at the woman. "Piper..."  
"What?" Piper looked from Phoebe to the corner, but didn't seem to see anything. She reached out and touched Phoebe's hair, brushing it out of her face. "Honey, what's wrong?"  
"Can't you see?" Phoebe tugged on her arm. "Piper, she's there!"  
"Phoebe what are you-"  
"That lady." Phoebe pointed towards the corner. She couldn't understand why Piper hadn't spotted her. The woman was staring right at them. And the expression on her face...Phoebe shivered inadvertently, clutching her sister's hand in her own. "She's right there!"  
Piper stood up suddenly, though it was obvious that she still couldn't see whatever Phoebe was seeing. But from the expression on her face, Phoebe could tell she was scared. Piper glanced around quickly, then bit her lip, gently pulling Phoebe off of the bed.  
"Come on," she said anxiously as she ran for the door. "Let's go."  
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"Leo!" Piper marched down the hall, her fingers clamped tightly around Phoebe's wrist. Each time they passed a room, the younger girl peered inside and Piper knew she was searching for Faith. She'd seen her. _Why didn't I see her?_ Piper wondered, as they took the stairs two at a time. None of it made any sense.  
"Prue?" Piper glanced around as they reached the bottom of the steps. The living room was empty so she hastily dragged Phoebe along towards the kitchen.  
"Leo?" Piper let go of Phoebe's hand as they stepped through the doorway. There he was, sitting at the table, an open bag of chips laid out in front of him. He was about to reach in for another Cheeto when he glanced up at them and quickly pulled his hand free of the bag. Piper ignored his guilty expression and put her hands on her hips. "Phoebe saw her."  
"Who?"  
"Faith Evans," Piper said. "She paid a nice ghostly visit to Phoebe."  
"Who's Faith Evans?" Phoebe glanced over at Piper as she reached for the whitelighter's food.  
"Do you see what I'm dealing with?" Piper eyed Leo, then noticed her sister's hurt expression. "I'm sorry. I know it's not your fault."  
"What's not my fault?"  
Piper felt her fingers clench into fists as she tried to hide her frustration.  
"I'll explain it in a few years," she said, pulling the Cheetos out of her reach. Phoebe collapsed into a chair and crossed her arms, staring down at the table. But Piper didn't have time for her pouting. She had suddenly realized that their headcount was off. "Where's Prue?"  
"I thought she was with you," Leo said.  
"No, no." Piper shook her head quickly. "'Cause I'm here-with Phoebe, which means Prue should be with you."  
"But you're here with me."  
"Leo!" Piper glared at him, then rushed out of the room. She jogged over to the front window, then pulled the curtains aside, pressing her face against the cool glass. She sighed in relief as she spotted Prue's car across the street. _Unless Prue walked, we should be fine,_ Piper thought. Then she glanced around the street again, blinking as she saw what was missing.  
"Where's my car?" She whirled around frantically as Leo and Phoebe entered the room. Phoebe sat down, completely unfazed, but Leo headed straight for the window. His eyes must have confirmed what Piper now knew, because the look on his face abruptly turned grim.  
"She took my car!" Piper couldn't believe it. "I have one sister being haunted and the other committing auto theft!"  
"She'll bring it back," Phoebe insisted.  
"Yes, but how many pieces will it be in when it gets here?"  
"Oh." Phoebe averted her gaze. "I don't know."  
Piper could feel herself succumbing to a serious Aspirin deficiency as her head started to pound. She looked to Leo for guidance, for some kind of direction, but she had already heard his advice. A week... Piper tried to push that thought out of her mind. There was no way she would make it through a week of this.  
Phoebe was curled up on the couch, still hugging that stupid stuffed animal. She wasn't going to be much help. _And Prue... Oh, when I find her….._ Piper thought, as her temperature rose. Sure this wasn't the regular Prue, but that didn't mean she couldn't feel some bitterness, at least for the sake of her Jeep. It had survived their various excursions, hunting demons and warlocks. But she wasn't quite sure it could survive her sister.  
"Okay." Piper took a deep breath, tucking her hair behind her ears. It would all be fine if she could just get Prue back to the house. Locking her down in the basement was beginning to sound like a wonderful plan. "We're gonna be okay."  
"You know maybe you should call-" Leo started. But before he could finish the rest of his sentence, a familiar sound echoed through the house. Wincing, Piper watched as her sister perked up.  
"Door!" Phoebe yelled, excitement gripping every inch of her body. Piper grabbed her shoulders pressing her back into her seat.  
"Stay." Piper held her there for a moment, then backed away slowly, using her hand as a makeshift stop sign. Phoebe rolled her eyes and went back to playing with Toto. Piper smiled a little. At least she had one sister who listened.  
"And you." She pointed to Leo. "Can you at least keep track of one of them?"  
"I think I can handle that," he said. "But we'd better find Prue soon. Who knows what she's up to."  
"I know exactly what she's up to," Piper muttered as she went back to the hall. "Total vehicle annihilation."  
Piper sighed, then took a quick glance in the mirror, trying to regain her composure. Plastering a smile across her face, she opened the door slowly, then stared at the man who stood on her doorstep. She knew him from somewhere, she was sure of it, but the where part of the equation was giving her trouble. Piper waited a moment, hoping he would say something to give her a hint.  
"Hey, I was just coming to check up on everything," the man said. Piper nodded, trying not to appear too confused. "I was supposed to pick up Danny's costume, remember?"  
Danny! The bells went off in her head. This was Danny's uncle.  
"And I wanted to make sure you didn't have any more problems with the set. I could drop by the gym early if you wanted."  
"The play, right," Piper said as she leaned against the open door. And then suddenly her breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening as reality set it. "That's today isn't it?"  
"Yep." The man checked his watch. "In just about three hours. I know there are lots of excited parents who'll be out there." He rubbed his hands together and started to take a step into the house. "Speaking of which, I wanted to-"  
"Piper."  
She whirled around. Leo was standing a few feet behind her.  
"Oh, you have company." The uncle retreated and Piper turned back to him, trying to maintain a casual appearance. But her brain had long since shifted to panic mode.  
"Yeah. Yeah I do," she said hurriedly." But I'll see you at the gym, all right?" He nodded and she quickly shut the door in his face.  
"The play-" Piper's heart started racing as she turned and grabbed Leo's shoulders, shaking him gently. "It's today. And that little kid hugging Toto in there, she's supposed to be running it!"  
"Yeah, well that's what I wanted to tell you," Leo said. "That little kid in the next room, she's acting kind of strange."  
"Maybe she's not acting."  
"Piper, I'm serious. I think something's wrong."  
"What do you-"  
A scream pierced the air as Phoebe came flying into the hall. She ran over to Piper and latched onto her, looking very much like a frightened animal. Piper could feel her sister trembling beside her. She quickly hugged Phoebe, wrapping her arms around her as she glanced over at Leo.  
"Okay, I get it."  
"I don't know what happened," he said. "She was fine and then all the sudden something came over her."  
"Obviously," Piper said, as her sister refused to let go. "Phoebe, honey, what's wrong?"  
"I saw her again." Phoebe's voice was shaking as she finally looked up. Piper's heart sank as she glanced from Phoebe to Leo, then back again. "I think she wants to kill me!"  
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Work sucked. Prue couldn't believe she'd forgotten that detail. It was all well and good when she was out taking pictures. But these stupid staff meetings were even more boring than Halliwell manor . She'd taken Piper's car for this? She couldn't believe it.  
With a sigh, Prue laid back in her chair as the man at the head of the table droned on. Then she leaned forward again, ignoring the stares her coworkers gave her as the chair squealed in protest. Grabbing the pad of paper they'd given her, she immediately went back to doodling.  
"Miss Halliwell?"  
"Me?" Prue glanced up. It sounded so weird when they used her last name. Those things were for old people, stuffy people who actually liked to work. She kept looking for Piper whenever they said that.  
"You had a big part in this Faith Evans piece." The man seemed to be waiting for her to say something. Prue did not. Finally he rolled his chair forward, folding his hands across the stack of folders before him. "Did you have anything to add to this meeting?"  
"Nope." Prue shook her head and went back to her doodle. No one spoke for a moment and she glanced up from her masterpiece. All eyes were on her. But then the attention shifted back to the man at the front. He cleared his throat, still staring at her, then finally got to his feet, dismissing them all.  
Prue just sat there as everyone filed out of the room, everyone except her boss Mr. Corso. He stopped right next to her and she could almost feel his eyes boring into her skull. Finally, she glanced up at him, wondering if she'd done something wrong. From the way he was glaring at her, she was pretty sure that she had.  
"Prue, what the hell is this?" He put his hand on the back of her chair, and spun her around until she faced him completely.  
"My sister." She was surprised that he cared, especially considering how mad he had looked. But since he had expressed an interest, she held up her drawing for him to see. She smiled at him. Out of all of the people at the meeting, she liked Mr. Corso the best.  
"See, that's Piper." She pointed to the girl in the dress, then at the boy standing next to her. "And that's Leo. He's her Whiteli-"  
"What are you talking about?" he yelled, his voice shaking with anger. Prue dropped the picture into her lap, surprised by his tone. "I got you in on a meeting with one of the most important guys on staff and you act like you don't even care."  
"But I don't," Prue said simply. She didn't understand why he was acting so mean. Did he actually expect her to talk to those people?  
"Prue, I've put a lot of faith in you here." Mr. Corso was trying to calm down, she could tell. But he wasn't doing a very good job of it. "I gave you a job when you had basically no experience. I am out on a limb here and you're chopping it off behind me."  
"I am not!" she said, rolling her chair away as he tried to lean towards her. And she'd thought Piper was bad.  
"Then what in the hell were you doing in here?" he demanded.  
Prue bit her lip. His shouting was starting to scare her and she suddenly felt terrible. It was one thing for her sister to yell at her. Piper was younger so it didn't really matter. But Mr. Corso was her boss and she hadn't meant to make him so mad. She'd just wanted to take pictures.  
"I'm sorry," she said, swallowing back the lump in her throat. She tried not to get so upset, but her emotions were getting the better of her. "I didn't mean-"  
"Don't be sorry Prue!" he said. "I don't want your apologies I just want-"  
"Hi!"  
Prue looked up and saw Piper standing in the open doorway. She was smiling as she stuck out her hand for Mr. Corso to shake.  
"Hi there. I'm Piper Halliwell, Prue's sister."  
"Piper, what are you-" Prue started, but Piper shook her head quickly, and Prue shut up fast.  
"Yeah so, Prue hasn't been feeling very well lately."  
"I noticed." Mr. Corso looked from Prue to her sister. But he didn't sound so mad anymore. He just sounded confused.  
"It's some kind of flu," Piper said hurriedly as she motioned for Prue to stand. For once, Prue was ready to listen, anything to get out of the of the conference room. "The doctors think it could be affecting her moods a little. It should be over in a matter of days-we hope."  
"Oh, so she's just got a bug."  
"Yep." Piper nodded. "It's very contagious so I think we should go." She shot Prue a look. "Now."  
Prue nodded, waving goodbye to Mr. Corso, as Piper dragged her out of the room. He waved back, then stopped abruptly, looking embarrassed. Prue hurried to keep up with her sister as they sped down the hall and into the parking garage  
"I'm sorry," Prue mumbled. For once she actually meant it. However annoying Piper could be, she definitely came in handy at times. "Thanks for coming."  
"Yeah well, I couldn't let you die in there."  
"He was really mad," Prue said, still feeling horrible. She hadn't seen anyone that angry with her, at least not in a very long time. "I don't think he likes me. I think he was going to fire me, Piper."  
"No." Piper's voice became gentler. She put her arm around Prue, and Prue suddenly remembered why she liked having sisters. Now that Piper was there she was starting to feel a little bit better. "He wasn't going to fire you. Don't worry about it."  
"Okay," Prue sighed and glanced over at Piper. "How'd you get here?"  
"We took a cab."  
"Oh."  
"Yeah, oh. Somebody stole my car." Piper smiled a little. She didn't seem that angry, unlike Mr. Corso back there. She just seemed to be teasing her. Prue bit her lip, trying to look serious. But already she could feel herself grinning.  
"I guess that was me, huh?"  
"Oh yes," Piper nodded. "That was you."


	31. Chapter 30

"So everything's okay?" Leo glanced over at her as they stopped at the red light. The street was virtually empty, which was surprising for mid-day. Of course everyone else was at work, Piper reminded herself, which is actually where she should have been. Her new assistant manager at P3 was certainly getting a rough initiation.  
"I think we're good," Piper said, checking her dashboard. All the little dials seemed to be showing the right things. "At least the engine's still running."  
"How's it driving?"  
"Pretty well considering the fact that we're on the spare tire." Piper turned around to look at Prue. She had buckled herself into the backseat next to Phoebe, and now she shrugged at her other sister.  
"I couldn't see the curb, Piper."  
"Okay, I might be able to understand that," she said. "But I really don't think the fire hydrant should've taken you by surprise."  
The light turned green and she twisted back in her seat, eyeing Prue in the rearview mirror. Her older sister crossed her arms and leaned against the door.  
"They put it in a dumb place."  
"Prue, they put it on the sidewalk," Phoebe said. "I don't think you're supposed to drive on the sidewalk."  
"You know they're kind of cute this way," Leo whispered, his voice low enough so that only Piper could hear. Piper nodded, laughing a little as she watched Phoebe squish her face up against the back window. Leo turned around to look at her. "Seeing any ghosts Phoebe?"  
"Nope." Phoebe flashed him one of her sweet little smiles. "I'm all ghost free, Leo."  
"Okay, and what do we do if we do see a ghost?" Piper suddenly felt like an elementary school teacher, or worse yet, a mom. Of course most people drilled their kids on what to do if a stranger approached them, not a supernatural being.  
"If we see a ghost we scream," Phoebe said.  
Piper bit her lip as she pictured that scenario. Phoebe, in the middle of the gym, screaming her head off as dozens of parents came running. No, that would definitely not do. It was going to be hard enough to explain her childish behavior. Screaming at invisible ghosts was not an issue she wanted to tackle.  
"Why don't we try running," Piper said. "Just come find me or Leo." She glanced back at Prue in the mirror. "And that goes for both of you."  
"Phoebe's the one seeing things," Prue said. "I'm normal."  
"Hey, I'm normal too!" Phoebe protested.  
"And what are you going to tell the parents today?" Leo quizzed them again, quickly distracting them before a fight could break out.  
"That I'm sick and I'm very sorry, but no play today." Phoebe shook her head as if to emphasize the point. "And we are going to reschedu-" she stopped, stumbling on the bigger word.  
"Reschedule," Leo filled in for her.  
"Yep," Phoebe smiled at him again. "Thank you Leo."  
Seeing the look on her sister's face, Piper frowned, realizing what was going on behind that expression. Phoebe was being a little too sweet. But there wasn't much she could do about it. Leo didn't seem to notice anyway. She should just let it go. Already, she could see the sign for the school up ahead. She had much more important things to worry about than her little sister's.. "You like him!" Prue exclaimed. Piper sighed as Leo shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Phoebe's face turned a dark crimson color and she shook her head emphatically.  
"Do not!"  
"Yes you do!" Prue laughed, a wicked smile crossing her face. "You like him."  
"No I don't!" Phoebe insisted. She leaned forward towards Leo, grabbing his seat. "I don't like you. Piper likes you. She's the one who…"  
"All right!" Piper hit the brakes as she pulled into the parking space. She was suddenly thrilled to see the school looming in front of them. "Everyone out. Quickly now." She threw open her door, trying not to look over at Leo. "Don't want to be late."  
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"Yep, she's very sick." Piper nodded, trying to block the view of Phoebe skipping across the stage from the long row of parents in front of her. She pulled Leo over next to her, creating a longer barrier. But the parents just stepped aside, trying to get a better look at the youngest Halliwell sister.  
"It's pretty bad actually. She's been in bed all day." Piper laughed nervously as she glanced back at Phoebe. "Must have gotten a burst of energy."  
"Yeah, 'cause earlier she was in the hospital," Prue said as she came up beside them. Piper shot her a look. But it was useless. Prue didn't understand what she'd done. "What?" she said, glancing from the parents to Piper. "It's true."  
"It isn't catching I hope?" A mother spoke up, clutching the little girl in front of her. "My daughter has been practicing with her for weeks."  
"No, no," Piper shook her head as she saw the worried expression on dozens of faces. "Nothing like that. There's no need to worry."  
She looked longingly at the doorway, wishing they would all make a hastier exit. But if she told them Phoebe was contagious, there would be a stampede, and they didn't really need that right now.  
"I'm just so sorry you came out today."  
There were a number of grumbles and then one by one the parents retreated to the door. A few stuck around, to collect up the kids who'd been playing with Phoebe. Against her better judgment, Piper looked back at the stage. Phoebe had thrown on the mane for the lion and was chasing the kids through Munchkinland. Piper winced as she careened into one of the houses. There was a splintering sound as Phoebe fell into the building and a long crack formed on one wall. She grinned as she slowly got to her feet, then noticed Piper staring at her.  
"Sorry!"  
Piper didn't say anything, but as her sister waved, she quickly waved back. Then Phoebe tore off across the stage again, weaving her way through what remained of the set. Piper glanced over at Leo and was about to say something, when he interrupted.  
"I know, I know," he said. "I'll go take care of it."  
"Thanks," Piper said, grateful to have the help. She couldn't imagine having to take care of those two on her own. She watched Leo head towards the stage, then caught sight of another man walking her way.  
"You Piper Halliwell?" he asked, pushing the brim of his baseball cap up on his head. She smiled at him, nodding quickly.  
"That'd be me."  
"Well I'm the basketball coach, over at the high school," he said. "Our gym just got flooded and this is where we were told to practice." Piper felt her heart sink as she realized what he was saying. "I heard you'd be done by tonight, but I just wanted to be sure."  
"Tonight?" Piper's eyes widened as she glanced back at the stage. They hadn't even put on the play yet. The parents would kill her if she dismantled Oz before their children got to perform in it. "Um, I don't really think that...I mean there's been a slight delay ..."  
"We have a game on Saturday and with everything that's happened, this looks to be the spot for it," the man said. "And I don't think my boys can dunk over your rainbow there."  
"Oh, I'm sure they can," Piper laughed nervously. But the man wasn't smiling. He just stood there, his arms crossed. "Isn't there some way we can work this out?"  
"Not really," he said. "If you don't want to clear the gym, I'll have the students do it for you. You've got twenty four hours."  
"Twenty four-"  
"I have a place for the play." Danny suddenly appeared beside her, his uncle in tow. Piper attempted to ignore the boy as the coach glared at her. But Danny grabbed her arm, trying to get her attention. "We can have it at our theater."  
"Your what?" Piper looked over at him in confusion. "Where do you-?"  
"I don't care where you have it," the man said. "As long as it's not here-"  
"Wait!" Piper stepped in front of him as he tried to walk away. She wasn't going to let him ruin Phoebe's play, not without a fight anyway. "You can't just kick us out."  
"I can and I did."  
"Really, don't worry about it," Danny said as the man pushed past them. "Piper, we can move everything, can't we Uncle Edward?"  
"Huh?" Piper glanced over at him distractedly. Mr. Big Shot basketball coach was already nearing the door. And there wasn't a thing she could do about it. In one day fifteen basketball players would be tossing Munchkinland into the dumpster. "Danny that's really nice, but-"  
"No, I'm not kidding," Danny said. "Uncle Edward can arrange it all."  
"Danny, really-" his uncle looked uncomfortable as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "We probably shouldn't-"  
"Come on, we can do it," Danny pleaded. Piper was lost as she watched the exchange. Her mind was still whirling with images of set destruction, and just after they'd rebuilt it from the tornado madness... She sighed and glanced over at Prue who just shrugged.  
"Guess there's no play."  
"Oh god," Piper muttered. "This is a nightmare."  
"No, he's right," Edward said finally. He glanced over at Danny and Piper thought she saw a hint of anger in his expression. But then he turned back to her and smiled. "We can clear the set out. It means so much to Danny after all."  
"But where will you-"  
"We have a place," he said quickly. He cleared his throat then and nodded towards the stage, his eyes focused on Phoebe. "She seems to be having fun."  
"Oh, right." Piper said. "Bundles of fun. Just a little too much coffee this morning."  
Edward nodded then stuck his hand out towards Prue, who just stared at it, completely disinterested.  
"I'm Edward, Danny's uncle," he said. Piper watched as Prue nodded, still not taking his hand. A little embarrassed, Edward dropped his arm back to his side, then smiled again. "You must be the oldest. Prue, isn't it?"  
"Yep."  
"Danny's told me so much about you guys," Edward said. "You all seem very close." He stepped back a little and motioned towards the two boys at his side. "You remember Flynt, right?" he asked, putting a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. Oh yes, Piper thought. He was the one who she'd talked to the previous day, the boy who'd been tormenting Danny.  
"And this is my other son, Carson." Edward nodded towards the other boy. He was in his early twenties, not much younger than Phoebe. "He came back to see Danny's performance."  
"Oh, that's too bad," Piper said, trying not to feel guilty. After all, it wasn't her fault that the show wouldn't go on. "I'm just sorry we couldn't do the performance today."  
"Yes, well I'm sure we'll get another chance," Carson said. "Danny's very talented, we hear."  
Piper nodded, then suddenly realized that she was alone. Prue had disappeared. She turned her head slowly and saw her older sister up on stage. Somehow she had managed to find the makeup pens from the dressing room and she was drawing all over one of the children.  
Piper bit her lip, then glanced over at Phoebe who was spinning around in the middle of the stage. Leo was trying to stop her, but every time he got close she nearly hit him with one of her arms. Finally Phoebe came to a halt, laughing as she took a few dizzy steps. She stood there for a moment on wobbly legs, tried to take another step, then fell over. Leo caught her before she could hit the ground, and she smiled up at him.  
"So those are your sisters," she heard Carson say.  
"Yep," Piper sighed. "That's them."  
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Phoebe blinked at Danny, grinning as all the blood rushed to her brain. She let her eyes roll back into her head, and she could see her hair touching the stage. Leo had caught her just in time, but still she hung there, half suspended in his arms, looking like a gymnast gone bad.  
"Ready to come up?" Leo smiled.  
"Yep." Phoebe giggled as the blood rushed back to her limbs. The world was spinning, and she held Leo's arm for a moment, trying to steady herself. But then a few seconds passed and everything that was supposed to be still was still once again. Phoebe smiled and let go of the whitelighter. Then she realized that Danny was watching her.  
"Oh," she said quickly. "Danny, this is Leo. Piper's um-" She stopped and cast a sideways glance at Leo. "Boyfriend."  
"Nice to meet you," Leo said, but he'd already shifted his attention towards Prue. Phoebe could see the worried expression on his face as he stared at her older sister. Prue was obviously making trouble again. "Listen, I better go check on her."  
"Okie dokie," Phoebe said, as Leo started across the stage. She watched as he knelt down next to the older girl, trying to talk to her. Phoebe felt sort of bad for her sister. She was always making everyone mad. But that was probably because she was always mad at everyone else. But that was just Prue. She didn't want to listen to anyone. And Phoebe kind of doubted that she was going to listen to Leo. But at least he could try.  
"So that was Leo," Phoebe said, turning back to Danny. She was about to say something else, but then she saw the expression on his face. He looked sad or hurt or something... "Sorry we couldn't do the play," she said. "I'm supposed to be sick."  
"You don't look sick," Danny said.  
"Well I am," Phoebe assured him. She knew Piper would kill her if anyone realized she was perfectly fine. And if Piper killed her then she wouldn't be perfectly fine. And Phoebe didn't want that.  
"So, um..." Danny twisted his hands together, staring down at the floor. Phoebe waited expectantly for him to finish his sentence. But it was a few more seconds before he would even glance up. And when he did, he certainly wasn't looking at her. "How's Piper?"  
"Piper's fine." Phoebe reached up and took off the lion's mane. "She's just Piper. Same Piper as always."  
"Did she say anything about me?"  
"Why would she do that?" Phoebe asked. But she wasn't really listening for his answer. Instead she wandered across the stage, following the path Leo had taken. Already she could see Prue sitting there, still holding the face paints. Leo had finally moved away and was heading back towards the curtain.  
"I don't know," Danny said, sounding upset. "So that guy was really her boyfriend..."  
"Yep," Phoebe said, still staring at Prue. Now was her chance. "Watch this." She nudged Danny as they snuck up behind her. Phoebe grinned, feeling a sudden rush of adrenaline as she tiptoed right up to her sister. Then at the last second she grabbed Prue's hair and yanked on it gently, then took off across the stage. "Tag, you're it!"  
"Hey!" She heard Prue yell as she leapt to her feet. Phoebe ran towards the other side of the stage, circling around the munchkin village. Ducking behind the buildings, she waited for her sister to catch her. But then as Prue closed in, Phoebe shrieked and ran back for the curtain, giggling as Prue chased her around. At any moment she knew Prue would get her, and then she would have to be it. But that was okay because-  
Phoebe stopped suddenly, skidding to a halt as she caught sight of the curtain. Prue ran past her, then reached out and tapped her lightly, before taking off in the other direction.  
"Now, you're it!" she called back to her sister. But Phoebe didn't move. She just stood there, staring at the dark piece of fabric. A moment later Prue was back at her side. "What are you doing?"  
"The curtain." Phoebe took a step closer to it. "We were here last night."  
"Yeah, so?"  
"I don't know," Phoebe said. "Something happened Prue, didn't it?"  
"Well we found Toto," she said.  
"No, not that!" Phoebe felt frustrated as she turned to look at her sister. Prue didn't seem to understand. But actually Phoebe couldn't really understand it herself. It was just something she could feel deep within her, something that scared her a little. "It was way more important."  
"I don't know," Prue admitted. "I just remember Toto."  
"Yeah." Phoebe started to turn away from the curtain. She saw Piper down on the floor, talking to some people. Phoebe hoped they could go home soon, she was getting tired. As she started to twist back towards Prue though, she froze. Phoebe sucked in her breath and grabbed Prue's arm. The ghost was there, standing right in the middle of the stage. She glanced at Phoebe for a moment, her cold blue eyes boring right into her. Then she turned slowly and stared straight at Piper.  
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Danny sat on the edge of the stage, his legs dangling over the side. He watched as his Uncle continued chatting with Piper. Flynt had long since disappeared, but Carson hadn't moved. He just stood there like a statue, watching Piper.  
Danny had never really liked him much, actually the word hate came to mind. Whenever he was home, Carson treated him badly, unless of course his father was around. And then suddenly Danny was God. But the rest of the time Carson had a nasty personality. Flynt seemed like an angel compared to his brother. And now Carson had his eyes set on Piper. Danny was ready to take him out, right there in the gym. He probably could have too, using his power. But he would only anger his uncle, and then the transition might not go through. No, he'd been waiting too long to ruin his chance now. That first month or two when he'd been living with them, that's all he had heard about, the immense amount of power that would come to him...eventually. And eventually had taken forever. Now he was ready.  
Danny listened for a little bit longer, straining to hear the words Piper was saying. He could already tell that he had failed in his spell. Hopefully his Uncle would never find out. Now that he was preparing for greater things, the spell didn't seem so important. But still he wished it had worked. He craned his neck a little so that he could see Prue and Phoebe. Or maybe it had worked after all, just not in the way he had wanted. He knew he would have to fix it somehow, to change it back. Maybe after the transition it would be easier. But that could take awhile.  
I'm going to have to tell her, he thought. Piper must have already realized that something was wrong. The truth was that Danny could just leave it alone and hope that the spell would wear off. But if it didn't then they would all be in trouble. They would never have a play, and Phoebe would forever be chasing the other kids around the stage. Danny liked the old Phoebe, the one who listened to him. He knew he had to get her back. And if that meant telling her sister what he had done, then he would do it. He swallowed hard as he saw Piper turn towards him. Now the question was would she believe him?  
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"Prue..." Phoebe's voice was shaky as she eyed the ghost. Prue obviously couldn't see her, because as she glanced around, she seemed utterly lost. But the woman was clear as day to Phoebe, looking just as alive as anyone else. But she was a ghost, that's what Piper had said, and ghost equaled scary.  
Phoebe swallowed hard as Faith continued to stare at Piper, watching her in utter fascination. She could be okay, Phoebe thought. They'd certainly met okay ghosts before. But as Phoebe gazed at the woman, she saw her expression change to one of anguish and then to one of pure hatred.  
Piper hadn't told her to run because the ghost was friendly. She'd told her to run because the ghost was mean and vengeful and probably trying to kill them. Phoebe bit her lip, as a shiver ran down her spine. Something was always trying to kill them.  
"Phoebe, what are you looking at?" Prue pivoted around again, still searching for whatever Phoebe had spotted. Then she glanced back at her sister, looking a little annoyed.  
"The ghost," Phoebe whispered. "She's on the stage."  
Prue's eyes widened as she whirled around again. But it was clear she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Phoebe wished that she wasn't the only one. It wasn't fair. She knew that she should run and tell Piper, but instead she just stood there, her feet glued to the floor.  
Slowly, Faith turned in their direction and for a minute Phoebe was sure she would say something. But no words came out. And then abruptly, Faith started towards them, the plywood trees passing straight through her as she continued their way. Prue didn't even move but Phoebe dove behind her sister, grabbing the curtain to steady herself.  
A burst of energy surged through her body as soon as Phoebe touched the soft fabric. And then suddenly she saw what was so important, what she'd forgotten from the previous night.  
Piper was standing there, terrified, as something shot out from the darkness. She collapsed onto the stage and then Faith was there, hovering over her lifeless body. As Piper lay on the ground, unmoving and helpless, Phoebe could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. The ghost was killing her sister. Piper was dying. And then just like that it was over. Prue was there in front of her, a concerned expression on her face.  
"Hey, you okay?"  
"I remember now," Phoebe said as the tears slid down her cheeks. "I remember what I saw last night."  
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Faith took another step closer to the pale looking girl by the curtain and slowed to a halt. She wasn't the one. There was no need to bother with Phoebe. It was Piper she needed.  
She closed her eyes for a moment, resisting the urge to use her powers. It had amazed her at first, to find that her powers still worked, even in the afterlife. But there were some things so powerful that even death could not halt them. And vengeance was one of them. Faith knew who had killed her. And that person would pay.  
She turned back towards the front of the stage. Danny was sitting there, watching the group of adults. It wasn't right. They had murdered her, and now they were after her son as well. She longed to walk over to him, to hug him, and tell him that everything was okay. She was going to make it okay. She would protect her son, even in death, because there was no one else left to do it. No one else knew, no one else could understand. It was all up to her.  
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"It was so nice to meet you," Carson shook her hand once more and Piper tried to smile. She could see that his eyes weren't focused on her. Instead he was looking back towards the stage, and she could only imagine what he was seeing.  
Finally, he walked away and joined his dad and Flynt by the far wall. They seemed to be conferencing over something. Piper didn't even want to know what it was. Already, she'd gotten strange looks from the other parents. Phoebe and Prue's behavior had not gone unnoticed, and it was amazing that no one had been pulled out of the play. Considering the condition of the director, Piper was surprised they still had a cast.  
"Well I think that went okay," Leo said as he came up beside her. Piper covered her face with her hands and sighed. Slowly, she pivoted back around towards the stage, then glanced through her fingers at her younger siblings. She dropped her hands suddenly.  
"They're not doing anything."  
"Well, I think they got bored."  
"No, you don't understand." Piper smiled as she looked over at Leo. "This is a good thing. We want calm, normal children..." She stopped as she saw the expression that crossed Leo's face. "Well I didn't mean that we, like you and me wanted...um..." Piper trailed off as she cast her eyes downward. "Okay, awkward moment."  
"Maybe we should consider it a practice run," he suggested as he grabbed one of her hands in his own.  
"You mean for us?" Piper felt herself blush as she nervously tucked her hair behind her ears. She continued to stare at the ground, avoiding his eyes. "Well maybe, but...um...hmm." He seemed to be waiting for her to say something else. She bit her lip and glanced up at him slowly. "You think about having kids, as in us having kids?"  
"Don't you?"  
"Well, yeah." She twisted the ring on her finger as her heart beat a little faster. "I guess I sort of do...sometimes."  
"Piper, is something wrong?" Leo gazed down at her, a tinge of worry in his eyes. "I mean if you don't want to have-"  
"No!" she said quickly. "Oh god, no. I do, I do want to have kids, and with you, I mean obviously." She smiled as she stumbled through the rest of the sentence. "It's just that, I um, I sometimes wonder what our kids would be like. I mean freezing things and then suddenly orbing out. That could make it real hard to ground them."  
Leo's face broke into a grin.  
"I think that we'll manage."  
"Yeah, maybe."  
"Is there something else?" he asked as she shifted uncomfortably. Piper didn't know what to say. This wasn't the conversation she wanted to be having, not now, not with everything else that was going on.  
"I just worry, you know, about what kind of a life it would be, always having some demon after us..." She squeezed his hand. She certainly didn't want him to think she was against the idea. But it scared her a lot more than she was willing to admit. "I mean look at my mother. She died when I was little and I just..." She sighed, glancing over at Prue and Phoebe. "I don't want that to happen to our kids."  
"Hey." Leo touched her face gently, forcing her to look back at him. "You know I'd never let anything happen to you."  
"Leo," Piper smiled a little. He was so sweet that way, so protective of her. "You can't always be there. Things happen."  
She pressed her lips together, thinking back to that night at the theater. If life were fair she wouldn't have to worry about it, Leo wouldn't have to worry about her. But then again, if that were true, if there was some grand plan, then Faith never would have died. And there wouldn't be some child out there growing up without a mother.  
Piper took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. She couldn't think about this. She had to focus on her sisters, on getting them back to normal, and getting Faith out of their lives. That was more important.  
"Piper?"  
Piper opened her eyes and she and Leo both turned towards the stage. Danny was still sitting there, smiling at them. He glanced over at Phoebe and Prue for a moment, then looked back at her. "I kind of wanted to tell you something."  
"Oh," Piper looked from him to Leo. Her eyes widened as she realized what he might say. "Oh!" She let go of Leo's hand then bit her lip, hoping that he would understand. With everything else, she had almost forgotten the boy's feelings for her and she had a sudden fear that he was about to spill them all out. She didn't want to embarrass Danny by having her boyfriend around when he did.  
"Why don't you go get the ladder?" Piper nodded towards the back stage area. "We need it back at the club to set up tonight and..." she trailed off as she saw Leo nod, a smug expression on his face. He got it all right and he thought it was funny. Piper felt a wave of annoyance pass over her. Well what did I expect, she thought, jealousy?  
She watched as he turned and moved back around the stage, disappearing behind it. Then she clasped her hands together, and pivoted back towards Danny.  
"All right," she said. "What did you want to talk about?"  
"Well, you know Phoebe and Prue..." he started slowly. She leaned in a little, uncomprehending. She had hardly expected to hear her sisters' names right off the bat. "I think maybe there's something-"  
"Piper!"  
Now what? Piper lifted her head as Prue and Phoebe raced towards her. She could tell Phoebe was crying and as her little sister got closer, she leapt off the stage.  
"Phoebe, what's wrong?"  
Phoebe didn't say a word. Instead she threw her arms around Piper, nearly knocking her over. Piper grimaced as Phoebe squeezed her tightly, her face buried in Piper's shoulder. Prue jumped down beside them and Piper glanced over at Danny.  
"Can you tell me later?" she asked. Danny nodded then lowered himself back to the ground. He walked away slowly, pausing only once to glance back at the sisters. Piper watched him go, then turned her attention back on Prue.  
"What happened?"  
"She saw that ghost again," Prue said, gently stroking Phoebe's hair. "And then she had this premonition. I think it really scared her."  
"Okay, go get Leo." Piper gestured towards the curtain, wishing that she hadn't sent him away. "And hurry please."  
Prue nodded and took off behind the stage. Piper stood there as Phoebe cried into her jacket, her whole body shaking. Piper had no idea what to do.  
"She was there..." Phoebe said finally, still clinging to Piper.  
"I know. It's okay though," Piper said, hugging her sister tightly. "We won't let her hurt you."  
"No, it wasn't me, Piper," Phoebe mumbled between sobs. "It was you. She killed you." Phoebe finally let go of her and looked at her sister through watery eyes. She tried to wipe the tears from her face, but already more were coming. "Please don't let her do it, Piper. I love you. I don't want you to die."


	32. Chapter 31

"That's it!" Piper opened the cupboards one by one, slamming each shut after she'd searched its shelves. She wanted to lash out and hit something-hard, but the cupboards would have to suffer her wrath instead. Unfortunately there weren't any demons handy to vent on. "I have done everything I can. I didn't want to vanquish her, but now she's freaking Phoebe out!"  
"Not to mention the fact that she's trying to kill you," Leo said as he tried to clean up the kitchen. He grabbed some of the dishes and added them to the growing pile in the sink. "That ought to count for something."  
"Yeah there's that too." Piper went to the next cupboard and Leo dove for a plate as she bumped into the pile. He caught it before it could hit the floor, then set it aside on the counter. Piper glanced back at him as she opened a drawer. "Sorry."   
"No problem," he said as he came up behind her. Piper's stress level rose as she caught sight of the dirty dishes. She hadn't even realized how many there were. And the mess, the flour and syrupy stuff all over the floor, it was going to take hours to clean up.  
"Okay, I can't deal with this right now," she said as went for the door.  
"Piper, stop for a second."  
"No," she said, shaking her head quickly. "I can't. We have to get Phoebe and Prue back and figure out how to get rid of this ghost, and..." She trailed off as Leo caught her and pulled her back, wrapping his arms around her before she could protest. Piper felt her frustration slipping away as he hugged her. She sighed and closed her eyes wishing that she and Leo could just disappear together. "I'm sorry I'm being so crazy."  
"It's okay," he said. "I know this isn't easy."   
"Did you see poor Phoebe?" she asked. "I mean she was so upset. I can't let Faith do this to her anymore. She can't handle it now, not with everything else that is happening."  
"She'll be okay."  
"No, she won't," Piper said. "I mean Faith could hurt her, she could hurt both of them. And it's my fault. She's doing this to get back at me."  
"Piper, you were trying to protect Phoebe in the first place, remember?" Leo said, refusing to let go of her. "You were just saving your sister."  
"I should have done something different," Piper said, more to herself than to him. She glanced down at the floor, then closed her eyes, going over everything in her mind. She'd done that so many times, searching for a solution she'd missed, another option she could have tried. "There had to have been another way. With all of our magic, there should have been something."  
"Sometimes things don't work like that."  
"No, they don't." Piper opened her eyes as he finally released her. Then she turned back towards the cupboards. She checked through them once more, at a less frenzied pace. "I don't want to vanquish her, Leo. But I won't let her hurt them. I just need her to move on, or whatever it is that ghosts do."  
"Okay, but you still don't have a spell."  
"We have the one that will kill one of us," Piper glanced back at him. "And I'm just about ready to volunteer."   
"That's not funny," Leo said. "Besides, there's got to be another spell."  
Piper finally closed the top cupboard and turned around, a triumphant look on her face.  
"Well if there is, we have every ingredient we could ever need." She leaned back against the counter. "We're completely stocked and open for business. If we can find the right spell then we can settle this."  
"Just be careful," he said. "We don't know when she could come back. And being a ghost, she doesn't need a key."  
"It just doesn't make any sense," Piper said. She'd tried to sort through everything that had happened. Her sisters, Faith Evans, the crazy tornado. The connections weren't there. "Last I checked, we could see ghosts on a regular basis. They were never this sneaky."  
"I don't know," Leo said. "Sometimes spirits pass on and then they try and come back."  
"Can they do that?" Piper was skeptical. She'd always assumed that the whole walking into the white light thing was the grand finale of death. She'd never heard of anyone returning from it. Well, actually she herself had returned from death, now that she thought about it. But she had come back to life, she hadn't gone around haunting everybody. "So she can just move on and then decide, wait, no I want to go back to being a restless spirit?"  
"If their will is strong enough, and they have an important reason too..." Leo shrugged. "I've heard about it. It's kind of a myth, but some believe it's true."  
"So she can only get to us when our guard is down." Piper thought about it. "Which is why I see her at night, when I'm sleeping."  
"And when you're remembering what happened when she died," Leo said. "And Phoebe's more vulnerable now. Plus with her premonitions it may be that she's more receptive."  
"Lucky us." Piper bit her lip as she glanced up at Leo. "Now that Phoebe can see her, do you think she'll try something?"  
"Could be."   
Great, Piper thought. Just when she had two little kids to take care of, she was also getting death threats from a ghost. If anything happened to her, Prue and Phoebe would be totally unprotected. Sure they would still have their powers, but they hardly seemed to understand what was happening. Phoebe was already a wreck, and Prue, strong as she was, probably couldn't save them both if they were attacked.  
"Maybe if we could find out why she returned," Leo said, interrupting her thoughts. "There's got to be something."   
"She was a good witch, who I killed," Piper said as she grabbed for a sponge. She quickly wiped off the counter top, then started to pick up the boxes of flour and sugar that had been left on the floor. "That seems like a pretty good justification."  
"She was attacking an innocent," Leo reminded her. "A priest, that's like the worst you can do."  
"But why Prue and Phoebe?" she asked. "I mean, let's just assume that all this madness is coming from the same source, why would she do this to them?"  
"What about the _how_?" Leo said. "I don't think ghosts can cast spells. Piper, we have to consider the fact that she might not have done this."  
"All right," Piper said. "If she didn't do it, who did?"  
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"King me!" Prue called out as she jumped three of Phoebe's checkers with one of her own. Phoebe glanced up at her, frowning a little, then added a red checker on top of Prue's original one, so that now she had a nice stack of two. Prue examined the board, suddenly worried that she'd upset her delicate plan. But no, Phoebe was still winning. Prue grinned inwardly as she allowed Phoebe to jump all the way across the board and collect a second checker of her own.  
"Thanks," Phoebe said, giving Prue a small smile as she relinquished the checker.  
"Hey, you're the one who got to the other side on your own," Prue lied.  
Phoebe nodded a little, and Prue could tell she wasn't completely convinced. Her face still had tearstains and she looked thoroughly exhausted. But she was beginning to calm down now that they were half buried in the toys that Prue had made for her.  
Prue felt a small sense of satisfaction as she glanced around her room. Somewhere under the pile of stuffed animals was the Book of Shadows. She dug around for it, then finally slid it out across the floor to where they were sitting.  
"Okay." She opened the book and thumbed through the pages, trying to make sense of the huge mass of letters. So far she'd chosen the easy spells with the small words. For some reason the bigger ones were harder to read. "So what else do you want?"  
"Prue!" She whirled around as she heard Piper's voice. "Phoebe!"  
"Mom's calling." Prue rolled her eyes as she silently scanned over one of the pages. It was a spell on how to conjure up animals. Prue folded her legs beneath her, and leaned forward, suddenly excited.   
"Prue, don't be so mean to Piper," Phoebe said. "If something happened to her..."   
"Nothing's gonna happen to her," Prue insisted. Sometimes Phoebe could be such a baby. She was scared of everything. She just didn't trust in their powers, not like Prue did. Prue was sure that they could defeat anything, and since that anything wasn't attacking right then, she was going to have a little fun. She grabbed her sister's hands in her own.  
"Now help me with this spell."  
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"Did you check the attic?" Piper met Leo in front of her bedroom. He nodded, holding out his empty hands. Piper sighed. They had split up to search all the rooms. But the Book of Shadows was gone. Unfortunately there was still one room they hadn't checked, and Piper was willing to bet that they'd find the book there. She motioned to the doorway just down the hall. "Prue."  
"Piper, there's no way they're ready for the book now," Leo said as he followed her to the door. "It's too powerful for them."  
Piper grabbed the doorknob, then glanced back at him.  
"I know that, and you know that. But unfortunately for us I really don't think they know-" She opened the door, then jumped suddenly as a huge nose pushed out at her. Piper shrieked in surprise, leaning back into Leo. It was a horse. There was a horse in Prue's room. Her mouth dropped open as the huge animal took a step towards her. "Uh, Leo..."  
"They didn't." She heard him say behind her.  
"Oh yes they did." She froze as the horse nuzzled its head in her arm. She raised her eyebrows as she glanced around the rest of the room. There were toys everywhere, but luckily the horse was the room's only animal occupant. She caught sight of Prue and Phoebe sitting up on the bed, huddled over the Book of Shadows. And then suddenly there was a puff of smoke and a duck appeared. Piper groaned. They were starting their own menagerie. "Personal gain's gonna have a real problem with this."  
"Well maybe they make exceptions for underage witches," Leo said.  
"We'd better hope so." Piper shoved her way around the horse. It was a tight fit through the doorway and as she came in, she got an even better look at the room. Piper couldn't believe it, and for just one moment she was speechless.  
Over in the corner was a huge stack of boxes, one game on top of another. The stuffed animals were spread across the floor under the real life ones and a dollhouse had appeared next to the bed. As Piper walked over to them, Phoebe looked up at her with an innocent smile. But Prue frowned and leaned back against the headboard, crossing her arms over her chest.   
"I was just trying to help Phoebe."  
"I don't think Phoebe needs her own toy store."  
"Yes I do!" Phoebe said.  
Piper was grateful to see her smile once more. At the very least Prue had given her a more cheery demeanor. Piper glanced over at the horse who seemed to be scratching his side against the wall. _Of course we traded in our wall-paper for that cheery demeanor_ she thought.   
Piper sighed and looked over at Prue, wondering just how much of a bill she was going to ring up before the end of this mess.  
"See, Phoebe's happy," Prue said with a shrug.  
"Just give me the book." Piper held out her hands.  
"No!" Prue shook her head and closed it, then slid it over next to her pillow so that Piper couldn't steal it. "We had it first."  
"Prue, come on, we have a ghost to vanquish," Piper tried. "I know that somewhere deep down you realize that this is a little more important than your zoo here."  
"We had it first!" Prue said defiantly. Piper was ready to kill her when the horse suddenly decided to lay down. She heard something crash to one side of her, but she didn't even bother to see what had fallen. Whatever it was, it was coming out of her sister's bank account.  
"Prue, this is important!" Piper said. "Something is trying to kill us!"   
But Prue still wasn't ready to hand over the book, so Piper grabbed for it, tearing it out of her sister's grasp. She was halfway out of the room and pushing her way past the horse, when she felt the book slip from her fingers. She whirled around, and saw Prue grinning at her, the book in hand.   
"Okay that's it!" Piper stalked back over to her and took it again. "No more toys, no more games, no more book!"  
"Piper don't yell," Phoebe said.  
"I am not yelling," Piper said quickly. But she knew that she was. At this point she really didn't care. She kicked a few of the stuffed animals out of the way and made her best effort to navigate past the horse's outstretched legs. But by the time she was out of the room, the book was out of her hands again.  
Piper clenched her fists angrily as she saw the smug look on Prue's face. It wasn't fair, she thought. If their minds could be affected by the spell, then why couldn't their powers? Piper looked over at Leo, trying to breathe deeply, trying not to let her fury get the best of her. It wasn't working.  
"Okay, I can't take this right now," she said quickly as she leaned in towards Leo. "I am going to go lay down for awhile. It's your turn to baby-sit."  
"Piper, they're not going to listen to me." Leo chased her down the hall towards her bedroom. Piper finally halted at her door and whirled around, giving him an encouraging little smile that barely masked her own anger.  
"Sure they will. Phoebe will listen to anyone, and if Prue doesn't then, then-" She stopped as Leo waited anxiously for her to continue. She pointed back towards her older sister's room. "Just sit on her until I wake up, okay?"  
"But what about the ghost?"  
"Not caring right now." Piper rubbed her temples, feeling a migraine come on. She knew she should try to be more tolerant with everyone, especially considering the situation, but at this point her patience was pretty much spent. "All I want is for you to go in there and make sure that no other toys or-" She gritted her teeth as she heard something bark. "Or pets magically appear in this house."  
"Fine, okay," Leo said. He sighed and turned back down the hall, wandering in the direction of Prue's room. Suddenly Piper felt horrible. Here she was ordering him around, and he was still taking it, when he could have orbed out hours before.  
"Leo," she called after him. He stopped and glanced back at her. Piper gave him a grateful look as she leaned against the wall. "Thank you."  
"Sure," he said, a grin spreading across his face. "Just try and get some rest. I'll make sure they don't tear down the house."   
Piper nodded as she pushed open her door. Already she was beginning to feel a little bit better. Having Leo there helped immensely. She turned back and pointed at him with a teasing smile. "And don't make anyone cry!"  
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"So now you see," Edward said, looking from one son to the other. He could barely make out their features in the shadows but he knew that each wore a pleased expression. A small fire sat in the middle of the trio, its flames shooting up, dancing in the night. "There is power here. We bring it into the group, we all benefit."  
"But at one time we tried to destroy it," Carson growled. He was the difficult one, the one who questioned everything. Edward had nearly lost patience with him. The boy was stubborn, unwilling to listen. But he had a ruthless quality that Edward enjoyed. So he kept him around, despite his constant questioning.  
"Yeah, we tried and we failed," Flynt muttered. Edward resisted the urge to lash out at him. Flynt was still young and undisciplined. But he would learn soon enough.  
"It doesn't matter," Edward said. "We won't fail this time."  
"But why be so quick to embrace it now?"  
"Because we can," Edward said with assurance. "This is what the prophecy stated, the time we've been waiting for. We must do it now or we will lose the chance."  
"What about the witches?" Flynt leaned forward with anticipation, an evil grin spreading across his distorted features. He was the more anxious of the two, the one who would get the job done. Carson was ruthless but he could be lazy. Flynt was always ready, always hungering for the kill. And this time he wouldn't be disappointed.  
"We only need one." Edward waved his hand over the flames and watched as they climbed even higher, nearly touching his outstretched fingers. He could feel the power emanating from the small group. Tomorrow, he would feed that new power. Tomorrow, everything would change. "Kill the other two."


	33. Chapter 32

_"Prue!" Piper turned her head, checking each open doorway as she walked down the hall. The house was eerily silent and the only sound to be heard was that of the rain pounding on the roof up above her. It felt so cold and damp as she wandered through the house and she tried not to shiver. Everything was dark when she glanced around, but she never bothered to ask herself why. "Phoebe! Where are you guys?"_  
_There was no response so Piper started up the stairs towards the attic. The steps creaked and she gripped the railing a little bit tighter as she neared the door. Something was wrong. She wished her sisters would answer her, but even as she called their names again, she got nothing._  
_Piper finally drummed up the courage to grab hold of the doorknob and after taking a deep breath, she gently twisted it. Her mouth fell open as the door swung in. Her mother was there, standing in front of the book stand. Piper didn't move for a moment, unsure of what she was seeing._  
_"Mom?" She took a few cautious steps into the attic, then realized that she wasn't imagining things. Her mother was there. Piper smiled and rushed towards her. But then she was gone and as Piper whirled around everything changed. The thunder crashed overhead, and Piper was back in the rain, standing next to the old theater, the water soaking through her clothes. In her hand, she clutched the tiny picture._  
_The little boy, still just a baby... Piper stared down at the photo, trying to shield it from the rain with her trembling fingers. And then the tears rushed to her eyes as that horrible feeling gripped her. She'd nearly forgotten him. She'd tried so hard to push him out of her mind, but she knew that she couldn't._  
_Piper leaned back against the cold brick wall, then slid down into a sitting position, her entire body shaking. The lightning spread across the night sky, illuminating the sweet little face in the picture. An image flashed through her mind, a picture of herself at that age, happy, smiling, but that had been before everything else. That was before they had told her about her mom. And now because of Piper, some other little kid was going to be hearing that speech. Piper couldn't take her eyes off the picture. That child, she had made him an orphan. She had killed his mother, and she didn't even know who he was._  
_And then as she glanced up, peering into the black rainy night, she saw her. Faith was standing there, her pale face barely visible under the shadows. But it was her and as Piper watched in horror, she lifted her hand. And there, clasped in her fingers, was the dagger._  
There was a yell, and then a loud banging sound as Piper was jolted awake. She took a deep breath and glanced around, anxiously pushing the hair from her eyes. But there was no ghost, no dagger, just a white duck that had migrated into her bedroom. It quacked once and waddled over to the side of her bed. Then in a sudden flurry of motion, it flapped its wings, and jumped up onto her comforter. Piper watched it for a moment, trying to get the haunting images out of her mind. Then she slowly pushed her blankets aside and stood up.  
"I don't think so, Donald," she said as she picked it up awkwardly. "Not in my room."  
The duck gave an angry quack of protest as she put him down, then gently nudged him out the door. She turned back around towards the mirror, sighing at the deep circles under her eyes.  
"This can't be good, Piper," she said to herself. She'd hoped that with everything else, she would at least be tired enough to skip over her nightmares. But she had obviously been wrong. Now Faith Evans was haunting her dreams as well as her reality. There wouldn't be any escape, not until she found a way to get rid of her. Piper frowned at the thought. But she knew she'd been left with no choice.  
"Okie dokie," she mumbled as she started down the hall. "Time for round two."  
There was another crash and she paused as she reached the top of the stairs, listening for the familiar sounds of mayhem ensuing. But there was only silence, a long wonderful minute of silence.  
Piper stood there, a small smile creeping across her face. No screaming, no whining, no crying... The smile disappeared, as she thought about it. She should have heard something. At this point, Prue should have been to massive destruction plan number four, maybe even number five. Unless the ghost had come back...  
_Oh god _Piper thought, leaning over the banister. She peered down towards the first floor, but she couldn't see anyone.  
"Leo!" she called as she hurried down the stairs. She ran through the parlor then turned towards the living room. But it was empty.  
Okay, not going to panic, she thought as she retreated, then headed for the conservatory. She gasped as she saw the overturned chairs. They were spread across the floor from one end of the room to the other. A tray sat haphazardly over by the window and tiny pieces of what had once been good dishes were scattered around it. There was a vase sitting in a puddle of water just beyond the last of the chairs and Piper wandered over to it, then followed a long line of broken objects back through the dining room.  
"Prue?" She pushed past another fallen chair and glanced over at the dining room table, which had been shoved to one side. Piper twisted her hands together as she entered the kitchen. They had to be there. But all she could see was a smashed cookie jar and what was left of their coffee machine. "Phoebe! Where are-"  
Piper screamed as a hand came over her mouth, and another pulled her back towards the pantry door.  
"Shh!" The hand released her immediately and she spun around to see Leo. He was standing behind her and as she watched he pushed past her, poking his head back into the dining room.  
"You scared the hell out of me!" Piper whispered, smacking him in the shoulder.  
"Sorry, but we're tracking your cat," he said, without looking at her.  
"Excuse me?"  
"Kit," he said quickly. His eyes searched the house as he leaned out of the kitchen. Piper could see his deep concentration. If she hadn't been so angry she might have smiled at his expression. "The dog found her and it's been chaos ever since. We wanted to lock her up in the attic, but it's kind of hard to catch her."  
"So what, you decided to call out the hunt?" Piper glared at him as he finally glanced over at her. "I thought a ghost was murdering you!"  
"Immortal, remember?" he grinned at her. But she quickly pointed her finger in his face, giving him a warning look.  
"Not if you keep this up you're not." She crossed her arms as she tried to slow her racing heart. "I thought something happened to you guys."  
"I'm sorry if we scared you but-" He stopped abruptly as he turned back towards the dining room. He grabbed Piper's arm and propelled her over towards the doorway, pushing her forward. "Look, there she is!"  
Kit was perched on the dining room table, half-hidden by the center piece. Her back was arched and as she took a few hesitant steps towards the edge, she hissed loudly. Piper hadn't even noticed her there. She made a move to go pick the cat up, but Leo pulled her back quickly.  
"Don't even try," he warned. "She's way too fast. You've got to catch her off guard."  
"What, you're like the feline guy now?"  
"Hey, I'm the one who watched her and Rover tear up this place."  
"Fine, whatever," Piper said. "Where are Prue and-"  
She never got to finish. There was a loud bark as the dog suddenly appeared, tearing through the parlor. Piper heard the sound of glass breaking, and winced as the large animal leapt over the couch. Before she even had the chance to freeze them, Kit jumped down from the table and was halfway to the kitchen. Just then Phoebe dove for her. Piper's eyes widened. She hadn't seen Phoebe either. And then suddenly there was Prue who grabbed the dog by the collar and dragged him back as Phoebe ran for the stairs with the cat.  
"Ha! Victory!" Leo raised one clenched fist, then noticed the strange look Piper was giving him. He lowered his hand slowly, then pretended to run it through his hair. "It was more exciting if you watched it from the very beginning."  
"Uh-huh." Piper pressed her lips together as she surveyed the damage. There was nothing that couldn't be fixed or at least replaced, but that wasn't a lot of consolation when she was the one who'd be doing the clean-up. She glanced over at Leo as she wandered back towards the living room. "And which one of you is the adult again?"  
"It wasn't his fault," Prue said as they came into the room. She sat on the couch, her feet propped up on the table.  
"You're right, it was his fault." Piper nodded to the dog as he jumped up next to Prue. His tail wagging, he craned his head up and started licking her face. Prue laughed even as Piper frowned at the animal. "Destructo dog."  
"He did do a number on the place," Leo said.  
"Oh yeah." Piper watched as the dog jumped back to the ground. Then she glanced around the living room. The casualty list was growing. She counted a lamp, three picture frames, a vase, and a shredded couch pillow on the ground. "You, Fido." She clapped her hands at the dog, waving him towards the front entrance. "Out."  
"Piper!" Prue jumped to her feet and chased after her sister as she nudged the dog out into the hall. "He's mine!"  
"No, he's not yours," Piper said. "You have a cat, remember? We're cat people."  
"But I want my dog!"  
"You can't just leave him outside," Phoebe said as she came down the stairs. She looked at Piper with sad eyes, then knelt down next to the dog, throwing her arms around his neck. "He'll be lonely."  
"Fine, whatever." Piper didn't even care anymore. The entire house was a mess anyway. She eyed the dog as it padded over to her, nuzzling his head against her leg. "As long as you got rid of the horse."  
"Already done," Leo said. "And we have no further ghost sightings to report. So all in all I think I did a pretty good job handling things."  
"Yep, good for you." Piper clasped her hands together. Already her mind was on other things. Now that they'd gotten through that minor catastrophe, the remnants of her dream were starting to come back. "Now what happened to that file?"  
"The one on Faith Evans?" Leo nodded towards the living room table. "I put it over there."  
"Oooh, I want to see!" Prue leapt onto the couch and grabbed for the file. But Piper pulled it back as she sat down beside her. Piper took a deep breath then opened the file, quickly flipping through the pages. She scanned over the ones she'd already read, pushing Prue away as she tried to get a better look. _Come on,_ Piper thought. It's got to be in here. And finally she found it on the second to last page. The picture was a little grainy. It was obviously a copy of a newspaper photo, but the faces were still recognizable.  
"Hey." Prue leaned in closer, grabbing the article out of her hands. "Isn't that Danny?"  
"Yep." Piper said. Maybe she had known it all along. The baby in the picture hadn't been a baby in a very long time. Instead he was a young boy, living with his uncle because his mother had died. Danny Holden was Faith Evans' son.  
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So now they knew... Faith thought. Now maybe Piper would understand. But it didn't matter. It didn't fix things. And it certainly wasn't going to make anything better. There was no going back now. There was still so much to do. They had to pay. She would make them.  
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Phoebe felt Faith's presence before she could see her. She glanced around as her hair stood on end, but no one else in the room seemed to notice. It felt as if the air was being sucked out of the house and then, as she watched, the last remaining picture frame started to slide off the table. It moved slowly and teetered right on the edge, before it finally fell to the floor.  
The noise startled Piper and she whipped her head around, staring down at the frame. Phoebe could see the fear in her eyes as she picked it up, careful not to touch the broken glass. Piper bit her lip then held the frame out for Leo to see. It was a photo of them as little kids, sitting on the couch with their mother. Phoebe swallowed hard as Faith came into focus behind them.  
"Piper, she's here!"  
"What?" Piper eyes darted across the room and suddenly everyone was alert.  
A calm breeze blew through the house as Leo moved towards them. The dog jumped into Prue's lap, barking furiously, his hair bristling all down his back. And then there was a loud roar as the entire house started to tremble around them. Phoebe curled up in the chair and covered her ears, trying to block out the sounds. She watched as Piper stood slowly, the file dropping from her hands.  
"What's happening?"  
"It's her, Piper!" Phoebe whimpered. "She's here!"  
And even as the last items fell from the shelf, the manor went dark. Through the shadows she saw Prue shove the dog away and leap to her feet, positioning herself next to Piper. They stood there, Leo beside them, ready for anything. But Phoebe wasn't ready. She just wanted to crawl up to her room and wait for it to be over.  
"Piper!" Phoebe could feel the tears stinging her eyes. The house fell deathly silent as the trembling subsided, but that only made it worse. Now all they could do was wait...  
"Phoebe, come here!" Piper whispered. "Come on honey, it's okay."  
She reached out towards Phoebe as the girl hurriedly got to her feet. Grabbing Piper's hand, she pushed between her two sisters, huddling with them in the darkness. Phoebe bit her lip to keep from crying as she clutched Prue's shirt in her other hand. It was like some horrible dream that she couldn't wake up from. Everything was perfectly still. And it was then that the door burst open.  
"What's going on?" Prue demanded as Piper and Leo stepped out in front of them. Together they turned towards the now open doorway. What was left of the door had been blasted down the hallway by some unseen force. It lay in splinters on the floor a few feet away. Phoebe hid behind Piper, scrunching her eyes shut as she heard the sound of footsteps. They were coming inside.  
"Okay, what do we do?" Leo whispered. He moved closer to Piper and they stood there, like a wall between Phoebe and Prue and whatever had entered the house.  
"See if you can get them out the back door," Piper said as she stepped back slowly, forcing them into the parlor room. Phoebe's eyes flew open and she latched onto Piper's arm, horrified at the thought of leaving her sister. She'd already seen Piper die in her mind. She couldn't bear the thought of it happening in real life.  
"You're being stupid!" Prue said. "You can't fight it alone."  
"Prue, we don't even know what _it_ is!"  
"No, Prue's right," Leo said. "You can't stay here by yourself, Piper. Whatever we decide to do we should do it together."  
"All right." Piper nodded. She turned abruptly and pushed her sisters towards the conservatory. "Then I say we get the hell out of here!"  
Phoebe couldn't agree more.  
But as they ducked back through the doorway, she thought she heard something. Phoebe turned her head as she ran, then slowed to a halt. Before she could shout out a warning, the explosion ripped through the house, blowing the furniture into the wall. Piper shrieked as she and Prue were thrown to the floor. Flames shot up around them, and Phoebe cringed, feeling the heat on her face.  
"Prue!"  
"Phoebe, go!" Prue shouted. "Go with Leo!"  
Phoebe nodded then screamed as a ball of fire flew over her head, shattering the window in front of them. The flames billowed out into the yard as the glass rained down around them.  
"We have to get out of here now!" Leo shouted, grabbing hold of Phoebe's arm.  
The inferno was growing, nearly surrounding them where they stood. More fire balls cut through the air and Phoebe shrunk back, trying to spot her sisters through the growing haze. The smoke detectors screeched as Leo pulled her towards the dining room. They dove under the table as one of the chairs erupted in flames a few feet away. Phoebe could just barely see Prue and Piper, who were huddled in the back corner of the conservatory.  
"Piper, get over here!" Leo yelled.  
"Trying," she muttered as another window was demolished behind them. Finally, she threw her hands out and Phoebe watched in awe as the flames froze. Even the big black clouds of smoke became still.  
"What kind of ghost throws fire?" Piper eyed Leo from across the room as she and Prue got to their feet. He never had a chance to answer though. Another fireball tore through the dining room hitting the table. Phoebe jumped back, pushing herself away from the flames.  
"Leo," she whimpered as he pulled her to her feet. "What do we do?"  
"Running-we're still running!" Piper said. She and Prue pushed past Leo, then hurried Phoebe along. "Kitchen, now!"  
"Wait," Prue stopped suddenly, causing a pile up in the doorway. She struggled out of Piper's grasp and whirled around, her eyes searching the dining room. "Where's the dog?"  
"Not a good time to wonder these things," Piper said, trying to push her into the kitchen. "I'm sure he'll be fine. He's a dog. Ghosts don't hurt dogs."  
"But fires do!"  
Phoebe's heart suddenly went out to their furry friend and she strained to hear the sound of his barking. She glanced around, but she couldn't see him past the smoke and the fires that hadn't been frozen. As she listened, he growled once, then went quiet.  
"He'll burn up in there!" Prue yelled. And even as Leo tried to grab her, she slipped away and disappeared back towards the conservatory just as the fire unfroze.


	34. Chapter 33

The flames were licking the walls as Prue rushed back into the room, covering her mouth against the smoke. She coughed and ducked down, trying to spot the dog through the grayish swirl. She could hear Piper screaming her name and then everything in the room froze once again. Piper's power can be so useful, Prue thought as she caught sight of the dog's still form near the doorway.  
"Prue!" Piper yelled again. Prue could see her through the frozen smoke, cautiously stepping around the broken glass that surrounded them. "What part of kitchen did you not understand?"   
"I found him!" Prue said. She hurried over to the dog, grabbing onto his collar. His eyes were still open and he didn't appear to be hurt, just frozen. "Unfreeze him Piper!" She stared at the dog for a moment, waiting for him to move. He didn't. Prue frowned and turned around. "Piper?"  
"Prue, stay there," Piper whispered gesturing towards something in the middle of the room. Prue straightened slowly, and as she did her eyes widened. Standing there, a fireball in one outstretched hand, was a demon.  
Prue swallowed hard as she studied him. His skin was rough, almost scale-like, and his oversized eyes had a reddish glow. She couldn't believe that she'd missed him before.  
"Is he frozen?"   
"I'm gonna go with yes on that one," Piper said as she headed towards Prue. She glanced up at the demon as she passed him, then looked back at Prue, making a face. Prue started to smile, but as she watched, the demon twitched, whipping around towards her sister.  
"Piper!"  
Before Prue could react, the demon reached out and grabbed Piper, his nails digging into her shirt. Leo and Phoebe rushed through the doorway, even as the demon pulled Piper back towards him.  
"I don't freeze witch!" he said, a smile crossing his distorted features. He held her there even as she struggled to get away. But he was simply too strong for her, and without her power, there was no way she could fight him. And then he turned back towards Leo and Phoebe, holding the fireball before them in his other hand. "Now let's see what cooked flesh smells like!"  
Phoebe screamed as the flames rushed towards her and Leo. But with a quick wave of her arm, Prue deflected it back to the wall.  
"Leo, get them out of here!" Piper said quickly. But already another fireball had formed in the demon's open hand. He held it up close to Piper, and as she stared at it, Prue saw the fear spread across her face. Prue felt a deep anger growing inside her as she watched the demon's smile. She wasn't going to let him hurt Piper. Nobody hurt her little sister.  
"Let her go!" Prue shouted, her hatred erasing any fear that she'd held. He didn't seem to hear her for a moment, but then he started to laugh. He turned back towards her, grabbing a hold of Piper's hair and pulling it tightly. Prue saw her sister wince. But there was a determination there on her face, nearly hiding her fear.   
"Prue," she said slowly, her voice filled with authority. "Go with Leo."  
"No." She shook her head, meeting the demon's eyes. "Let her go."  
He grinned and Prue could see his grip tightening on Piper. The time freeze had worn off and the flames shot up around them.  
"Make me."  
Prue smiled a little, feeling her anger burn deep within her. He had dared her, after all. She couldn't disappoint him. Slowly she lifted one hand. He watched her, laughing still. He doesn't think I can do it, Prue thought. But he'd messed with the wrong witch. Worse yet, he'd messed with the wrong sister.  
"It's your own fault," she said even as he grinned. "You shouldn't have touched Piper."  
With that she made a quick motion and the fire leapt from the wall, hitting him square in the back. He yelled in pain, releasing Piper, even as Leo pulled her away. Prue ran towards them, then stopped directly between them and the demon. She felt Piper grabbing her, trying to drag her back into the safety of the dining room. But Prue wasn't done yet.   
As she heard the demon scream, she couldn't help but smile. Now he would see. Now everyone would see. Prue reached out both of her hands and slowly brought them together, watching as the fire pulled away from the walls and slowly moved towards her. It was as if a great force was sucking all of the flames from the house until they formed one huge fiery ball right before her eyes. _I'm that force_, Prue realized. _I'm the one doing this._ She heard Piper gasp behind her.  
"No!" The demon yelled as he turned to stare at them. He had managed to put out the fire on his back, but now he had a much bigger problem. Prue was only too happy to be that problem.  
She pulled both of her hands towards her body, drawing the fireball near. Then suddenly, she shoved them back out in the demon's direction. The fireball smashed into his chest and hurtled him back through what was left of the windows. Prue heard him howl as he rolled around on their lawn, then took off into the darkness.  
And then the house was quiet again. The dog padded over to her and she pet him as he wagged his tail happily. Phoebe crept up closer to her sister, still a little shaken as she glanced around. The lights slowly came on and Prue smiled, feeling content. She had been the one to save the day this time. Maybe they would finally realize that she wasn't a baby. She was the oldest. It was her job to protect them.   
As Prue leaned back against the wall, Piper glanced around in seeming amazement. The flames had disappeared, although the walls and some of the furniture had telltale scorch marks. Piper pushed past her sisters and moved over towards the window. As Prue watched, she cautiously stuck her head out through the frame, searching for the thing that had attacked them. Then she glanced over at Prue and the others, pointing back to the lawn.  
"Okay," she said. "That was not a ghost."  
"And we have another problem," Leo said, looking over at Prue and Phoebe. Prue could tell he was worried as he gestured towards her. "Their powers have grown."


	35. Chapter 34

**_Reaching out with her fingertips, she touched the rainbow gently. It looked so pretty with its bright colors, but it was rough, the wooden edges splintered and jagged. Piper took a step back. The farther away she got the prettier it looked, and the harder it was to see the rough plywood underneath the paint. Appearances can be deceiving, she thought. I've certainly learned that in the last few years._   
_ It was getting harder and harder to trust people now, when they could turn out to be evil, to be murderous warlocks or demons... Or even witches, Piper reminded herself. We can be evil, we can kill. She sighed. I can kill. She wondered if that made her as evil as Faith, or that thing that had killed her own mother so many years before._  
_ Piper felt tears coming to her eyes as she thought about it, how angry she'd been when she'd lost her mom. And then when they'd found the demon who'd killed her, that anger had only grown to a simmering hatred. If Danny knew about her, would he hate her too?_  
_ Piper bit her lip. She had tried to forget about Danny since she'd discovered the truth. But she knew that she couldn't. If Faith didn't haunt her, then her guilty conscience would. There was nothing she could do to make up for it._  
_ "I'm sorry," she said more to herself than to anyone else. But when she glanced up she saw Faith standing in front of her. She stepped forward towards Piper across the yellow colored carpet. She wove through Munchkin Land, and stopped in the middle of the stage, directly under the spotlight. Faith opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words came out._  
_ Piper squinted at her, trying to get a better look. And as her eyes moved over Faith, they also scanned the rest of the stage...and the theater. Piper gasped as she turned around. She wasn't in the gym at all. Instead she was staring out at row upon row of empty seats. It was the same view she remembered from that night when she and Phoebe had hidden behind the miniature barn. It was the same stage, the same theater._  
_ "Sorry isn't good enough." She heard a voice say. Piper peered back towards the far wall and saw Danny walking down the aisle slowly, his eyes cold, his face shadowed by a black hood. He made his way up the steps and onto the stage, even as she stood there frozen in place. "You should pay," Danny said his voice low and ominous. "They'll make you pay."_  
_ He was directly in front of her now. And as she watched he pulled a knife out from under his cloak and with one swift motion, he plunged it directly towards her heart._  
"Piper! Piper!"   
She could feel hands grabbing her, shaking her. Piper's eyes flew open. Phoebe was leaning over her, her face mere inches from Piper's. Phoebe grinned, even as Piper stared at her. Still in pajamas, her hair tussled, Phoebe looked very much like a little kid. It took a moment for Piper to remember that she pretty much was a little kid.  
"Piper!" she said again, her voice excited. "Were you dreaming?"  
"Uh, yeah," Piper said, still a little dazed. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, she glanced around. She was still in the same chair she had been sitting in the previous night, only now she couldn't feel her legs. Biting her lip, she tried to move them and felt that painful tingle shoot through her body. "What time is it?"  
"Twelve I think," Phoebe said. "I was gonna wake you, but Prue said no. She said you looked tired."  
"Yeah, well I was up all night looking through the Book-" Piper stopped and glanced around. The book was gone. She remembered putting it down on the floor next to the chair, but now it had disappeared. "Where's the Book?"  
"Oh, I took it downstairs," Phoebe said, brightening at Piper's look of surprise. A huge grin spread across her face as she bounced up and down next to the chair. "I made you something, Piper!"  
"Oh." Piper smiled a little. But then her smile disappeared as she thought about it. She gave Phoebe a suspicious look. "Does it have four legs?"   
"Nope."  
"Okay, does it have two?"  
Phoebe shook her head again, crossing her arms. She seemed fairly pleased with herself. Piper pointed at her, knowing all too well that Phoebe's innocent expression could be masking something else.  
"Anything feathery, furry or otherwise breathing?"  
"Piper!" Phoebe protested. "You're not a very good guesser!" She grabbed her sister's hand and pulled Piper out of the chair. Piper winced as her arm was nearly ripped from its socket. "Come on, I'll show you!"  
Tripping over the Checkers game Prue had left out, Piper tried to catch up with her sister and her own hand. But Phoebe was practically running down the hallway, dragging Piper along for the ride. They took the steps two at a time and then they were in the kitchen. Piper stopped in the doorway as Phoebe finally released her.  
"Look," Phoebe said. "Leo came for breakfast!"   
It was true. There he stood in front of the stove, staring intently at the oatmeal that was bubbling over. With great concentration he grabbed for the pan, but let go of the handle again, as the oatmeal spilled over the side and onto his fingers.  
"Try this." Piper reached over and turned down the heat, watching with satisfaction as their breakfast simmered down. "I guess whitelighters aren't too good at cooking, huh?"  
"Good morning." Leo looked up at her, his face a little redder than before.  
"Good morning." Piper smiled as she moved in closer. She started to kiss him, but was suddenly very aware of Phoebe who was standing only a foot away, a goofy grin on her face. She seemed to be waiting for Piper to continue and when she didn't Phoebe looked sorely disappointed. Piper tried to ignore her as she reached out and hugged Leo instead. "Thanks for coming back."  
"Well, I didn't want to leave you alone with them," he whispered quietly in her ear. "I didn't think they would survive."  
"Heard that," Prue said from the table. Piper looked over at her, but Prue's face was buried in the Book of Shadows. With one finger moving under the text, she was reading a spell silently to herself. She slipped another spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth, then flipped to the next page.  
Piper walked over to the table and closed the book abruptly, right on Prue's hand. Prue eyed her sister for a moment as she slowly slid her fingers out from between the pages. Then she glanced back down at her oatmeal, helping herself to another spoonful.  
"What were you doing?" Piper raised her eyebrows. Prue just shrugged, and continued eating her breakfast. But Piper knew better than to let it go. Her sister was always quietest when she'd done something wrong. "Prue, I know you and I know that innocent act you used to pull on Mom. You're the one who taught it to me, remember?"   
"It wasn't anything bad," Prue said finally. "I was going to fix your car, but then I found something better."  
"Something better?" Piper tilted her head to one side. She was tempted to go check on her beloved Jeep, but instead she stood there, staring down at her sister. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Phoebe run out of the kitchen, with Leo close behind her. Piper quickly pulled the book off the table and out of her Prue's reach.   
"Uh Piper," she heard Leo yell from the other room. "Did you, um, I don't know, see a Porsche in front of the house last night?"  
"A Porsche?" Piper glared at Prue as her sister stood and walked to the sink, her back conveniently turned to Piper.  
"Cool!" Phoebe came rushing back in. She grabbed Prue's arm, just as she was trying to escape. "Is the red one for me?"   
"The red one?" Piper sucked in her breath as her fingers dug into the book. That was the last time she let it out of her sight. "There are two of them?"   
"Three actually," Prue said hurriedly as she dashed for the door. "I needed a way to get back to work..." Her voice trailed off as she sped down the hall and made a quick turn towards the stairs. Piper took off after her. She couldn't believe it. Prue had always been the one to worry about personal gain and now she was embracing it wholeheartedly.   
"Prudence Halliwell!" she yelled as her sister disappeared up the stairs. Piper stopped at the bottom, feeling a wave of frustration wash over her. There wasn't much she could do to control someone who was technically older than her. Leo came to stand beside her, and he leaned over a little.   
"Yours is black in case you care."  
"I don't," Piper said abruptly. Then she crossed her arms, reconsidering. She seemed to be the only one not having fun. Even Leo was smiling. She glanced over at him, still frowning. "But if I did then I would say that that's actually a pretty good choice," she conceded.   
At least Prue had good taste, Piper thought. She could just picture herself speeding across the Golden Gate Bridge, the top down, the ocean right there next to her, anything to get her away from the Manor. She cast Leo a sideways glance.  
"The cars," she said. "Personal gain right?"  
"Yeah," Leo nodded, giving her a sympathetic smile. "They kind of frown on that type of thing."  
"Well, it never hurts to ask."  
"I have a present for you too," Phoebe said as she padded into the hallway. Piper watched her approach with a small amount of dread. Prue's present was already enough to keep the neighbors calling for the next twenty-four hours. She could only guess at the damage Phoebe's could do. If it was another animal she was going to chuck the whole magic thing and open up her own petting zoo. It sure beat battling demons on a daily basis.  
Phoebe gently pushed Piper into a sitting position on the bottom step, then plopped down beside her. Piper shifted a little. Laying the Book of Shadows down on the step above her, Piper promised herself that she'd remember to grab it before Prue found it again.   
"So what did you do, Pheebs?" Piper asked warily. She tried to look happy for Phoebe's sake, but all she really wanted to do was go upstairs and ground their older sister.  
"Here," Phoebe said. Pulling a piece of paper out from behind her back, she proudly handed it over to Piper. "It's your surprise."  
Piper stared at it for a moment. She could feel a grin spreading across her face as she glanced up at Leo. He was trying desperately to hide a smile of his own. He leaned on the banister a little, trying to get another look at the picture.  
"She made it all on her own," he said. Piper even thought she heard a little pride in his voice. "Prue helped her a little, writing out the words, but-"  
"I made them up all by myself." Phoebe hugged her knees to her chest, looking a little anxious. "Do you like it?"   
Piper pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh as she nodded. She definitely liked it. In one corner Phoebe had drawn a misshapen figure with a rather large head, dark hair, and a black dress. The little stick person's arms stuck straight out of its side, fingers outstretched in a position Piper knew well.  
"Is that me?" she asked.  
"Yep," Phoebe said. "And that's the bad ghost." She pointed to the second drawing, a large figure with a deep frown, and big scary eyes. Then Phoebe moved her fingers under the words that were written beneath.   
"Our powers protect us," Piper started, squinting at the scribbled out letters. "There's nothing to fear. So good-bye ghost lady, and please disappear."   
_ …'k, Phoebe definitely has a way with words, _Piper thought. Then she glanced down at the bottom corner where Phoebe had written one last thing. The B was backwards, and the P was hardly recognizable, but it was obviously her signature, signed down there under the picture of Piper.  
"It's a spell!" Phoebe finally burst out, unable to contain her enthusiasm any longer. "To use on the ghost, so she won't be able to hurt you."  
"A spell?" Piper looked at the childish scrawl again and tried to picture it in the Book of Shadows.  
"Leo said so," Phoebe insisted. Piper glanced from the drawing to Leo.  
"Oh he did, did he?"  
"She's a witch." He shrugged. "And it came from her heart. It could work, I guess."  
"It'll work," Phoebe said with determination. She quickly grabbed the paper from Piper and started up the stairs. "You'll see."   
**

**"You failed us," Edward said, looking down at his son. Unlike his father, Carson was no longer in his human form. Instead he had transformed back into his demon self. He knelt there for a moment, then he snarled, turning his angry reddish eyes up towards Edward.   
"I wasn't warned," he protested. Edward was sick of his whining, but still he let him argue his case. "You said they had been weakened. But they've only grown stronger, especially the oldest."   
"These are the Charmed Ones," Edward reminded him. His sons had defeated many witches in their time, and they had convinced themselves that these witches would be just as easy to bring down. But they were wrong. "You should be prepared for their strength. There is a reason they are still alive."   
"But you think we can succeed in doing what so many others have failed to do?" Carson stood up defiantly but Edward shoved him back down, grabbing him viciously by the throat.  
"You were the one who failed, not us," he said. "And certainly not me. I sent you on a simple task, because I have taken on the harder one for myself."  
"I know," Carson finally relented, gasping for air. "You're right. I should have been better prepared."  
"Yes, but next time you'll know." Edward allowed him to stand again, then turned towards the basement wall and grabbed one of the larger daggers. He gingerly ran his fingers over the blade, then glanced back at his son. "If he can defeat a witch of this strength, then the prophecy will be right," Edward said. "We have to be sure. The test must be hard, the enemy powerful. Only then will we know if he is the one."  
"So we leave one witch," Carson said, watching the blade gleam under the dim basement light. "And we destroy the other two."  
"Which is what I sent you to do," Edward growled. With one abrupt motion he tossed the dagger to the floor, listening as it slid across the cement. Then he took an angry step towards his son, watching him cower. "I don't need the other two. I want them gone."   
"They will be."  
"You have one more chance to prove yourself," Edward said, balling up his hands into fists. They were running out of time now, and he was getting impatient. "Eliminate them, but leave the one for me. If you don't, then you better not come back- those witches will be the least of your worries."  
His son nodded and quickly scrambled up the stairs, returning to his human form as he did. Edward heard the familiar sound of him unlocking the door, before Carson disappeared into the hall. Edward sighed then turned back towards the mirror he had hung on the opposite wall. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, feeling the change taking place inside him. When he opened them again he peered down at his scaly hands with the long nails that could slice someone's skin. He was sick of hiding behind the weak human form. He wanted out. He wanted to restore the power to his family. The Halliwells were his ticket, he knew. He was willing to give up his role as the strongest, to pass it on, anything to turn his family back into what it had been. And he was ready to slaughter anything that got in his way. **


	36. Chapter 35

**"I still don't get how you let him talk you in to this," Flynt looked over at his father as he hoisted another tree onto the stage. He dragged it across the floor and Danny winced at the low scraping noise. Then Flynt propped it up and crossed his arms. "It's not like this play's gonna happen."  
"Don't you ever shut up?" Danny glanced over at him. It wasn't like he'd asked his cousin for help. He'd just sort of tagged along. Flynt was always doing that. He never wanted to be left behind. He always seemed worried that he'd miss out on something.   
"Come on, Danny," Flynt brushed off his hands as he wandered across the stage. "Tomorrow's like the biggest day of your life, and you're worried about a play?"   
"So?" Danny shrugged. It's not like Flynt would understand. But he'd always loved being on stage, having his mother smile at him, and read him his lines if he should forget them. Stupid Flynt didn't like anything except TV, video games, and his powers.  
"We get stuck with all this work," Flynt sighed. "And you won't even care about it after tomorrow."  
"Flynt!" Uncle Edward turned to glare at the boy. He'd finished pounding in the last nail for the rainbow's support beam, and now he stood slowly. "Danny made a commitment and he's keeping it. Maybe you should learn from that."  
"Uh-huh." Flynt didn't sound too thrilled at the thought. "Why don't you tell that to Carson. Where is he any-" The boy stopped cold as his uncle shot him an icy stare. Danny held his breath and pretended to be preoccupied with the forest in the corner. Obviously, Flynt had hit some kind of nerve.  
"You know that Carson couldn't make it," his uncle said finally. "He had other obligations."  
Flynt stood there for a moment as if waiting for something to happen. He rarely angered his father, and at the moment the older boy looked down right frightened. He nodded finally then mumbled something under his breath. Danny watched him duck his head, then disappear through the curtain.  
Danny breathed a sigh of relief as his uncle turned towards him, a smile crossing his face.   
"You've done good here," he said. "But Flynt's right. After tomorrow this might not matter to you. There's a lot you don't understand about what's going to happen."  
"I don't care," Danny said firmly. "You said it was my turn right? And I want to do it. You have to let me."  
"I will, don't worry." He came over to Danny and glanced down at him. "But whatever happens, you have to trust me. This ritual is ancient, it has to be done correctly."  
"I know." Danny sighed. He was getting kind of sick of hearing about it. That's all anyone had talked about in the last day and a half. The transition, his powers... He was tired of talking. He just wanted to do it, to get it over with, to see what would happen.   
With his uncle's help, Danny finished propping up the last of the trees, then stood back to survey his work. The stage was set up perfectly. Everything was where it should be, each prop in the correct place. Of course, now that they were in a real theater with a full sized stage, they had a lot more room. The Munchkins would be a lot happier now that their village wasn't bumping up against the Wizard's castle.  
Danny was actually glad that the school had kicked their production out. Everyone had been a little apprehensive about moving to the theater, but he couldn't really understand why. No matter what had occurred there, it still felt like home to him. He could almost see his mother in the front row, feeding him his next line, smiling as he took his bow.  
Everything that was coming was so new, so foreign to him and mixed in with his excitement were feelings of apprehension. Glancing around the old theater made him ache for his mother, for the old life that he'd lived. She would have been able to explain everything, to tell him what to do about Piper and this transition thing.  
Danny frowned at his thoughts, pushing them out of his mind. He was too old to be scared and much too old to want his mommy. He could handle things himself. He didn't need anyone else.  
By tomorrow I'll be different, he thought. He could rid himself of this world. He wouldn't have to miss his mother, and he wouldn't have to worry about Piper or her sisters, or that stupid spell. He shouldn't have tried it, that much he was sure of.  
"Sorry mom," he mumbled with a smile, looking up towards the ceiling. She'd always hated his powers, telling him how dangerous they were. But he knew better. She'd been trying to protect him, to shield him from that energy he'd felt.  
"What did you say?" his uncle asked. Danny whirled around. He'd almost forgotten that his uncle was there. As the man waited expectantly for an answer, Danny shrugged, not knowing what to say. His Uncle had never really discussed his mother. Danny had learned that it was best to leave the subject alone. Of course, it was hard when they were standing on the very stage that she'd died on.  
"I was just thinking," Danny said finally. He looked down at the shiny wood below his feet, running the toe of his shoe across the cracks. He knew that she would have been happy, seeing him return to this place. He hadn't been back in awhile. And to her, it had been everything, well the stage and Danny... That had been her world.   
"Excited about tomorrow?" His Uncle smiled and Danny felt small as he placed one heavy hand on his shoulder. "You'll be amazed at how things will change for you. Your powers will be phenomenal."  
_Good,_ he thought. He wanted to be able to do more, to taste the power that his Uncle would give him. He wanted to be able to defend his family, to defend himself. His mother had been so strong, but she hadn't been able to save herself.  
Danny glanced back towards the middle of the stage, feeling a shiver run up his spine. His hands became clammy and he quickly rubbed them together. That was strange. Even after all that had happened, he'd never been afraid of the theater before. But now... He took a deep breath and stared out at the rows of seats in front of him. For just a second, he thought he saw someone in the back row. But then he blinked, and she was gone. Danny swallowed hard, and glanced back up at his Uncle. He was still smiling.  
"Come on." He gently pushed Danny back towards the curtains. "It's time to prepare."   
**

**"And then Hansel and Gretel saw the wicked-" Piper stopped abruptly, biting her lip. She glanced over the picture in the book that she held and frowned at the scary looking woman leaning against the gingerbread house. Quickly, she closed the book and set it down on the bedside table. Phoebe glanced up at her in confusion as Prue narrowed her eyes.  
"The wicked what, Piper?" Phoebe asked.  
"Demon," Piper said, shifting in the bed to get more comfortable. When she'd started the story Phoebe and Prue had stuck to their sides, but now they had moved in closer, squishing Piper between them. She looked from one sister to the other as they waited anxiously for her to continue. "It was a wicked demon. They saw her, but they still went into the house, even though, you know, she was a demon, a big ugly one with horns on her head."  
"Like the one we saw?" Phoebe hugged her stuffed dog and Piper could hear the fear in her voice. She put her arm around her little sister and shook her head.  
"No, this is a different demon."  
"Because he isn't real like the one we saw."  
"No," Piper sighed, unsure of what else she could say. She looked over at Leo, who was sitting in the chair by the window. Their eyes met for a moment and he shrugged. "He's not real. The demon that we saw, he was real. But that's okay, because Leo and I will take care of him so he won't bother us anymore."  
"How are you gonna do that?"  
"We just will," Piper said quickly, tucking a stray lock of hair back behind her ears. Phoebe gave her a skeptical look as she curled up closer to Piper. Squeezing her pillow, she yawned and pulled her blankets up over her chin. Piper eyed Prue who had stubbornly tossed her comforter onto the floor.  
"So what happens next?" she asked. "Aren't they kind of stupid to go into her house?"  
"Well, yeah, I mean going into a demon's house isn't a real sign of intelligence," Piper gave Prue a pointed look. Now she knew why Grams had been so fond of this story. It had good applications in real life. Sometimes staying away from the baddies was the best course of action. "You're supposed to get away from the demons not run towards them."  
Prue rolled her eyes and tossed her pillow at Piper.  
"I saved you, you know."  
"Yeah, I know," Piper said with a smile as she tossed the pillow off of the bed. It landed beside the pile of blankets. "But you still shouldn't have gone back to the living room."  
"Couldn't they just throw her out a window like Prue did?" Phoebe mumbled next to them. Her eyelids were starting to droop and Piper pulled her blankets up just a little bit more.  
"Sure," she said, trying to lower her voice. "In fact, if that demon turned into the freaky thing we saw tonight, then that would be a great thing to do."  
"So it's okay that I did it?" Prue asked as she reached over the side of the bed. A moment later she had hold of her pillow again. She fluffed it, then laid her head down on it, gently rubbing her eyes.  
"It's okay," Piper said. For a moment, she thought of what could have happened if Prue hadn't saved them. Piper would most certainly be dead and her sisters wouldn't have been too far behind.  
"So I can do it again?" Prue yawned.  
"Yes, definitely." Piper nodded. "By all means. If you see another red eyed scaly guy, be my guest."  
"Good," Prue said, closing her eyes. Slowly, Piper grabbed her own comforter off of her legs and pulled it up over Prue. She watched as her sister shifted a little to one side, snuggling into her pillow. "I'm glad I did it."  
"Me too," Piper said quietly. She leaned over and kissed Prue on the top of her head. Piper had meant to protect her sisters, and they had ended up protecting her. But whatever had come tonight would be back, she knew. And she had to be ready for it. She glanced over at Phoebe, who was already fast asleep. It was up to her to take care of them now.  
Piper moved slowly, trying not to wake her sisters as she crawled to the end of the bed. She stood and went over to Leo, who had fallen asleep in the chair. For a moment she thought about letting him sleep. But she needed someone to talk to, and he was the only adult she had left. She sighed as she saw how peaceful he looked. And she felt a little guilty as she reached out to shake him.  
"Leo?" she whispered as he blinked up at her.  
"Piper." He straightened quickly, ready for action. "Everything okay?"  
"Fine," she said. She motioned towards the hall and waited as he stood slowly, then followed her out. Before she closed the door, Piper looked back at her sisters. Prue now had a protective arm over Phoebe, who was nearly buried under the blankets. Piper smiled, ...then glanced down at the dog who lay just a few inches from the edge of the bed. He sat up, completely alert, as she pointed at him. "You- stay."  
The dog lay down immediately, but kept his head up, his eyes darting around. Piper knew he'd be ready if anything happened. She was scared of leaving the room, scared that something would happen to them in those few seconds that she was gone. But with the dog as her own personal alarm system, she finally let the door shut behind her. She turned back to Leo, leaning against the wall.  
"You must be exhausted," he said quietly.  
"I'm fine," Piper said. For once, it was the truth. Their little demon escapade had her completely awake and ready for anything. "Do you know what that was?"  
"Well from the looks of things I'd say you've found yourself a Vargo demon."  
"I guess I should have seen that one coming," Piper said. She had dismissed Prue and Phoebe's theory so easily. Turns out we were both right, Piper thought. And now they had a ghost and a demon on their hands, not to mention two children. "So what do we do about it?"   
"Well, Prue got him pretty good," Leo said. "He won't be back tonight. But it's a safe bet that he'll strike again, maybe tomorrow."  
"Then we'll be ready tomorrow," Piper said crossing her arms. She'd had enough of this. Ghosts, demons, whatever else chose to bother them... By tomorrow night they would all be gone, Piper promised herself.  
"We're going to have to be careful though," Leo reminded her. "Phoebe's premonition about you, it could still happen."  
"Well I'll just avoid the school from now on."  
"And their powers have obviously grown," Leo said. "And it's a good thing too, because if she hadn't fought him off..."   
"I know," Piper said. "It would have been bad."  
"Real bad," he said. "It must be some consequence of the spell. Becoming young again freed up a lot of their inhibitions-"   
"Tell me about it." Piper rolled her eyes. "Have you seen her bedroom?"  
"Well, the damage shouldn't be too hard to fix," Leo said. "And I'll see what I can do about the windows in the morning. Hopefully the plastic will keep the rain out tonight."  
"Thanks," Piper said. She wondered how things would be tomorrow, if Prue would still hold on to her stubbornness, even after everything that had happened. She would just have to wait to find out. "This is just so hard." She glanced up at Leo. "One moment they're cute and sweet and the next thing I know, they're raiding the book and running towards demons. They won't listen to me."  
"It'll get easier. She'll come around."  
"Well I think the Halliwell family would've lost one of its members if I'd been alone in this one."  
"Which member?" Leo asked with a smile.  
"It's a toss up between me and Prue." Piper could see his amusement. "I'll get back to you later on that one."   
It was true, there was no way she could have gotten through this by herself. Taking on two kids was a lot harder than she'd ever imagined. She sighed as she smiled at Leo. "I'm just glad you're here."  
"Me too." Leo looked like he was about to say more, then he stopped and glanced up towards the ceiling. Piper knew that look. She had learned to dread it, but tonight she realized that he needed a break.  
"They're calling you, aren't they?"  
"Yeah," he said. "It's kind of important, but I can stay. You shouldn't be alone."  
"We'll be fine." Piper put her hand on his chest then leaned in to kiss him. "I promise."  
He nodded. She knew that he trusted her, both her powers and her instincts. And if anything happened, Piper was sure he'd be close, just in case. He smiled at her and then with a glimmer of white light he was gone.  
Piper waited a moment, then slipped into the bedroom. Tiptoeing around the dog, she tried not to look at the huge crack in the dresser. She'd never bothered to ask Leo how he'd gotten rid of that horse. Piper could only hope that she wouldn't find it in their backyard the next morning.  
Carefully, she took the Book of Shadows off of the dresser and carried it over to the chair that Leo had occupied. Grabbing a blanket, Piper sat down, curling her legs up underneath her. She opened the book, searching for the page on the Vargo demon. It seemed like so long ago that Phoebe had shown her its description. But only a few days had passed, a few very long days, Piper reminded herself.  
Finally she found the right page. She ran her hand over the ancient looking script then read it over silently in her mind. She smiled a little as her eyes scanned the words. Tomorrow, Mr. Vargo demon would learn the deadly consequences of messing with her family.  
**


	37. Chapter 36

**Piper gently nudged the dog out of her path as she moved down the hallway towards Prue's room. It was time to have a serious talk with her sisters about the rules of Wicca. Somehow the words personal gain had slipped from Prue's mind. _Along with just about everything else,_ Piper thought.  
She loved her sister, even in her younger and slightly obnoxious form. Prue really was trying to do what was right. She had, after all, saved Piper the previous evening. But still, it was time to lay down the law. At the very least, Piper would save herself the later annoyance and at the most she might return the favor by saving her sister. Prue just didn't seem to realize what she was up against.   
Knocking on her sister's bedroom door, Piper stood there a moment, steeling herself. Prue could be stubborn and her power made everything worse. Piper wasn't sure how to handle someone who had sent their younger sister flying into a table. _And that was the sister she likes right now,_ Piper reminded herself. She highly doubted that she herself had stayed on Prue's good side. She was the adult, the person who Prue was supposed to rebel against. _Time to embrace my authority,_ Piper thought with a smile. _I'm the boss._  
"Prue!" She knocked on her sister's door again, failing to get a response. Finally she let herself in, but the room was empty except for the large pile of toys that Piper had pushed to the corner. She groaned and moved down towards the bathroom. Throwing open the unlocked door, she glanced around, her eyes widening as she saw the bathtub's new occupant.  
"Piper." Leo came up behind her. "Don't you think we should talk about.."  
"Would you look at this?" Piper gestured wildly in the direction of the bathtub. Floating in the nearly overflowing water was the duck her sisters had conjured up the previous day. "As if demons and ghosts weren't bad enough I now have a feathery friend to share my house with." She shook her head and pushed Leo back out the door. "Have you seen Prue?"  
"Yeah, as soon as you went up the stairs she went back down."   
"I can't believe it," Piper said. "She's avoiding me. I'm the big mean adult that nobody likes. How come you aren't the disciplinarian?"  
"Because you're their-" Leo stopped suddenly and Piper's eyes widened. She already knew what he'd been getting at and she watched as he frantically searched for another word. He brightened a little, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Sister."   
"You were going to say mother, weren't you?"  
"No."   
"Yes ,you were." Piper pointed an accusing finger at him. "That is exactly what you were going to say." She stepped around Leo and headed back for the stairs before he could protest. "I can't believe this. The older child is supposed to be the parent. How come I got stuck with the job?"  
"Piper, you're just feeling a little stressed right now," Leo said calmly. He tried to grab Piper's arm, but she wriggled out of his grasp as she reached the first floor. She was nearing the kitchen when she heard him yell. Piper spun around just in time to see Leo go flying as he tripped over the Book of Shadows. He landed hard on the floor and lay there for a moment, a little dazed.  
"Oh god. " She brought her hands up to her face as she rushed back towards him. The book, she'd left it there on the stairs. "I'm sorry. I completely forgot..."  
"It's okay."  
"No, it's so not," she insisted. "I'm so sorry, that must have-"   
"Piper, I'm fine," he groaned as she reached down to help him up.   
Piper could feel herself falling apart. Leo was right, she was definitely feeling the stress of the situation. That Porsche ride across the Golden Gate was looking better and better every minute. Maybe if she ever found Prue, she would ask for the keys.  
"Leo," she said finally. "We have got to change them back, now, I mean right now, as in no waiting, no stalling, no demonic interruptions. Whatever we have to do to get Prue and Phoebe back, let's just do it."  
"Piper, don't you think we should be a little more worried about that thing that came bursting in here last night?" He gave her a pointed look. "Or how about the ghost that, according to Phoebe's premonition, is trying to kill you?"  
"No, not even gonna go there right now." Piper shook her head. She'd take evil beings any day of the week. Well, maybe not, but if her sisters stayed this way insanity would prevail. At this point, if it came down to her mental health or safety from the demons and ghosts, she'd have to call it a toss up.  
"Faith is out for blood," Leo said quickly, grabbing her by the shoulders. "And Phoebe's premonitions are real, you know that better than anyone."  
"We need them to fight her, I already told you." Piper was trying so hard to ease his worries, but nothing was working. With Prue down for the count and Piper scrambling to keep the family in one place, Leo had suddenly taken on the protective role.  
"Piper-"  
"No more school visits, I promise," she said. "It's not like I have some burning passion to return."  
"Fine, but what about the demon?" Leo reminded her. "It could've killed all of you."  
"I've read up on him," Piper explained. She'd spent the better part of the night learning about the big bad Vargo demons. "But we can't take the chance of fighting him without Prue and Phoebe, and I'm not talking the kid version."  
"But they're strong now," Leo said. "You saw what happened last night. They're much more powerful."  
"And uncontrollable," Piper said. She just wished he would listen to her. It was bad enough that her sisters had tuned her out. She didn't need Leo doing the same.  
"Prue seemed to have it pretty well under control."  
"Not the powers Leo, the kids!"  
With a sigh, she headed for the living room, still determined to find Prue. But the room was empty. Then as she started to turn back towards the parlor she caught sight of a patch of brown hair, just visible over the couch.  
Piper circled back around and spotted Phoebe there, sitting on the floor by the window. She had all the papers from the Faith Evans file spread out around her and an open bottle of glue sitting beside them. As soon as Phoebe realized that Piper was there, she turned and waved a gluey hand at her. Piper winced, trying not to think of all the furniture her sister would stick to now.  
"Phoebe!"  
Phoebe's smiled disappeared and she looked apprehensive. Piper pressed her lips together, and glanced down at the ground trying not to look angry. Prue was already mad at her. She certainly didn't want Phoebe to be scared of her too. Piper eyed Leo as he came around the other side of the couch.  
"What happened here?" he asked.  
"Oh nothing," Piper said under her breath. "You know, the usual, little kid, big mess."  
She knelt down and started to sort through the clippings, putting the less gooey ones back in the file. But as she grabbed for more, she knocked over the bottle of glue and watched as it squirted all over the floor.  
"Sorry,'' Phoebe mumbled.  
"It's okay." Piper slowly got to feet and headed for the kitchen. She grabbed a wet rag then returned to the living room. Getting down on her hands and knees, she used some of the clippings to soak up the excess glue, then glanced over at her forlorn looking sister. Poor Phoebe, she was having an especially rough time of it.  
"I just wanted to find a picture of the ghost to put on your picture," Phoebe said, looking down at the ground. She suddenly seemed to realize how sticky her palms were. She hastily picked up the article she'd been cutting, trying to wipe the mess off her hands. "My picture was ugly."  
"It wasn't ugly, Phoebe..." Piper stopped and sat down next to her sister. Then she gently took her hands and cleaned them with the cloth from the kitchen. She smiled as she saw the gluey smears Phoebe had managed to leave on her cheeks. "It was great, really..."  
"But you didn't like it," Phoebe said as Piper washed her face off, "Prue said you'd think it was stupid."  
"Well then, Prue was wrong."  
"Maybe…" Phoebe trailed off. "I'll clean it up, promise."  
"Don't worry about it," Piper started, but already Phoebe was reaching for the file. She grabbed one of the photos then suddenly sucked in her breath. She closed her eyes for a moment, a newspaper clipping crumpling in her hand.  
Piper watched and waited. She could usually tell when her sister was having a premonition, and now it was even more obvious. Phoebe wrinkled her nose and tensed in her childish excitement. Piper glanced up at Leo, who was staring at Phoebe intently. Piper wondered what she was seeing this time. What other bad thing could possibly happen?  
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**Phoebe bit her lip, trying to sort through the sudden mass of images that whirled through her brain. She thought she saw herself for a split second and then Prue was there. They were on the stage. And then... then she saw Danny sitting in a dressing room, candles all around him.  
Phoebe opened her eyes, completely confused. Lately all of her premonitions had been scary or weird, and she was beginning to wish that they'd just go away. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. Usually she could understand her visions, but this one...  
"What did you see?" Piper asked anxiously.  
"Me and Prue on the stage," Phoebe said slowly, trying desperately to hold onto the image. But already it was starting to slip from her mind. "Danny was there too."  
"Danny?"  
"Uh-huh." Phoebe stared at Piper for a moment, trying even harder to remember. For some reason she knew it was important. Piper would want to know all of it. And more than anything she wanted to help her sister, to make Piper happy. "He looked like Prue did yesterday."   
"Prue?" Leo stood over them now, looking more and more lost.  
"When she had the Book and the candles, and we made the doggy," Phoebe said quickly. "Danny looked like that."  
"Like he was casting a spell?" Piper's eyebrows went up, even as Phoebe nodded vigorously. Piper stood and crossed her arms, then turned to face Leo. "Oh, this day just gets better and better."  
**

**"Piper, what are you doing?"  
She could feel Leo staring at her as she grabbed for her jacket. She flipped her hair back with her hands, pulling it out of the collar as she raced down the stairs. She hadn't been able to find Danny's phone number, but his address had been on Phoebe's class list.  
"I've got to go talk to him," she said as she made her way towards the door. If Danny could resolve this, then she certainly wasn't going to waste any time. She knew it would be hard seeing him now after everything she'd discovered, but it didn't matter. Getting her sisters back to their normal selves had rocketed to the top of the priority list. Ghosts, demons, and her guilty conscience would just have to wait. "Maybe he knows how to reverse this."   
"What are you going to say?" Leo asked. Piper pressed her lips together as she realized his point. How could she explain what she knew, without revealing her own secret?  
"I'll think of something," she said finally as she buttoned her coat. She could hear the rain pouring down outside, and she readied herself for the run to her car. "You think you can handle the Wiccan children for awhile?"  
"Me?" Leo's eyes widened, and Piper knew that she'd scared him. It figured. Leo had seen just as many demons and warlocks as she had. And he had faced them without fear. But her sisters, they frightened him. "Piper, I can't take them."  
"Leo, you're a whitelighter. You're basically a glorified babysitter anyway." She caught the glare he shot her way, but tried to ignore it. "Please," she pleaded. "I'll just be gone for a few minutes. You're the one who wanted a practice run."   
"Piper, I really don't think-"  
"You did just fine with them last night."  
"But-"  
"Leo, please?" Piper asked. "I have to go. There's no way to tell how long this spell might last. We'll all be a lot better off when they're back to normal."  
"You're going to see Danny?" Phoebe leaned into the room, a concerned expression on her face. Piper rolled her eyes. Now, she was facing a bitter whitelighter and her gluey younger sister. Someone, somewhere, was having a great laugh at her expense. "The ghost'll be mad at you, Piper. She'll try and kill you!"  
"Let's not forget about the demon," Leo added, throwing up his hands in exasperation.  
"Leo!" Piper hissed at him as Phoebe's expression moved from worried to frightened. She looked over at her sister, trying to think of something that would reassure her. "Phoebe, I'll be fine. I can freeze her, remember?"  
"Ghosts don't freeze," Phoebe said. "You know that, Piper."  
"All right, fine," Piper said. "But in your premonition I was at the school right? And I'm not going to the school now."  
"Still," Leo said. "She's right. You shouldn't be alone."  
Now it was Piper's turn to glare at him. But Leo didn't seem to notice. He was already looking up towards the ceiling. He tilted his head, as if listening to someone that they couldn't quite hear. Then he glanced over at Piper.  
"Oh no." Piper shook her head as she realized what he was doing. "Leo, you can't leave." She leaned in towards him as she lowered her voice, ever conscious of Phoebe's watchful eyes. "I've got Porsches stacked up in the driveway, furniture that looks like it's been barbecued on, and a duck in my bathtub. I need to figure out why this is happening, and I can't do that unless you're here."   
"And I've got a demon and a ghost who found you guys on their hit lists. And I can't figure out how to stop them, unless I'm _not_ here," he said, backing away from her slowly. He looked sympathetic, but she could hear the determination in his voice. "I'm sorry. I'll try and get back soon."  
"Fine..." Piper scowled at him, pressing her lips together. But she knew he was only doing his job. "Just do something for me in the meantime..." She glanced around, looking for the dog. "Fido? Spot, whatever your name is." The dog suddenly padded into the room. Piper smiled and grabbed his collar, gently pulling him towards Leo. "Take our doggy friend down the block. There's a little girl who wants a dog on 1360 Prescott Street."  
"But Piper-" Phoebe protested.  
"You can visit."  
"I don't know..." Leo glanced down at the dog. "Orbing with animals-"  
"Leo." Piper grabbed his hands and pulled him away from Phoebe. "I am about to go over to a little boy's house to ask him about a spell that turned my sisters into children, thereby destroying my house, my car and my cooking supplies. Just please, please, take the dog."   
"Okay, all right." Leo nodded, slipping his finger under the dog's collar. "Consider it done."  
Piper sighed and watched as the shimmery light engulfed him, then faded away. After a moment, she glanced over at Phoebe, who was smiling now. She knew she had won. Piper couldn't leave her anymore.  
"All right," Piper said finally. "Go grab your sister. We're going for a ride."  
**

**"I don't get it," Danny said, shaking his head again. His Uncle Edward was beginning to look impatient, and he was worried that at any moment the man might give up on him. And then that would be it. No new powers, no restoring the family honor, or whatever he called it. Danny could've cared less about the family honor. He just wanted to do what the rest of his family already could. "So we have to have some big ceremony?" He shrugged. "I don't really need a party. Unless we can bring people. Can I ask Piper and Phoebe if they want to come?"  
His uncle looked horrified at the thought. Danny couldn't understand that. What was the big deal? It was like a graduation. That's what his uncle had told him. And his friend Caleb's brother had had a party for that. He'd also gotten a ton of presents. Danny smiled at the thought, wondering what Piper would get for him.  
"Danny," Uncle Edward said abruptly. "This isn't that kind of a ceremony. It's only for our family, me, Flynt, Carson. It's got to be a secret."  
"Like the powers I already have?"  
"Yes, exactly."  
"But that bites!" Danny protested. He had hoped that unlike his mother, his uncle wouldn't make him keep everything to himself. "Do you know what the kids at school would say if they knew? They'd never bother me again."  
"After this you won't have to worry about school," his uncle explained. "Everything will be different. Besides, do the kids at school bother you that much?"  
"Yes!" Danny said. It seemed pretty obvious. On the third day in a row he'd come home with a bloodied nose, he had thought his uncle would have figured it out. He hadn't destroyed the set because the kids were so friendly. "I hate them. They never leave me alone."  
"You hate them and you hate your school?"  
"I hate everything, okay?" Danny said quickly, hopping off of his bed. "Nobody likes me. The play was going to be fun, but then it got cancelled..." Danny trailed off as his uncle stared at him.  
"Because of the spell you cast."  
"I didn't mean to," he said with a shrug. Uncle Edward waited a moment and Danny rolled his eyes. "Okay, I did, but it was stupid and it didn't work."  
"Danny, you have powers I don't have. And by tonight you'll have even more." He stood and rested his hand on Danny's shoulder. Danny could feel the excitement creep into him, as if his uncle's touch was feeding the power straight through his body. But it was a strange power, different from the one he already had. "You shouldn't be upset just because you haven't perfected your gifts yet."  
"Carson and Flynt seem pretty good with theirs." Danny stared at the ground. He silently wondered what it would be like, to be able to do what they did. With powers like those... he was willing to bet Jason would think twice before messing with him.  
"And by tomorrow you'll be twice as powerful as they are," his uncle said. "Carson and Flynt are different from you. And nothing we do will change that. But in the end you'll be better for it." He smiled, a hint of pride in his eyes. "Danny, you're going to lead us back to where we should be."  
"Where's that?" Danny asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets. _Sure, no pressure,_ he thought. His uncle was really hung up on this family thing. According to him, he, Carson and Flynt were the last ones in the line.  
"You'll understand by tomorrow."  
"So I'm going to be your boss?"  
"In a way, you just might be," his uncle said. "If you prove up to the job."  
"I will, I promise," Danny said. He was becoming more and more curious about his uncle and cousins, the way they kept slipping away and talking amongst themselves. He desperately wanted to know about his new family business, and how he was going to fit into it.  
"You'll see," Uncle Edward said. "Maybe you'll get a chance to show those kids at school what you can do, especially that Jason boy."  
Danny smiled. He didn't care what happened. He was going to join the rest of the family in something great, something wonderful. He would finally fit in again. And maybe, just maybe, that void his mother had left behind would finally be filled.  
But for now, Danny had no one left to worry about except for himself. There was still Piper and Phoebe and the play. But as he got closer and closer to the transition they faded farther and farther into the back of his mind. He just wanted to prove to his family that he could do it, whatever they wanted. They were going to give him something very special, and Danny wasn't about to disappoint them.   
**


	38. Chapter 37

**"We should've taken the Porsche," Prue grumbled as Piper pushed her up the walkway. She was dragging her feet, even as Phoebe tried to hurry ahead, anxious to ring the doorbell.  
Piper attempted to keep the umbrella over all of them, but in the end Phoebe made a mad dash for the door and Prue scrambled away, stealing the umbrella right out of her hands. Piper bit her lip as the cool rain drenched her, soaking into her jacket. Prue and Phoebe stared back at her from under the overhang and Prue grinned as she closed the umbrella.  
"The Porsche would've been so much cooler."  
"My car is fine," Piper said as she finally reached the front step. Squeezing the water out of her hair, she nodded at Phoebe. The younger girl bounced a little as she pushed the button by the door. They could hear the bell going off inside and Phoebe crossed her arms, looking quite proud of herself.  
"Piper, you're using a spare tire," Prue said. "The Porsche had four good ones."  
"I wouldn't have needed those four, or the spare for that matter, if a certain someone hadn't become Little Miss Car Thief!"  
"Piper?" Danny opened the door, confusion spreading across his face. But then he started to smile as Phoebe pushed around him, letting herself into the house. Looking bored, Prue sighed and followed her sister.  
"Where are you-?" Piper tried to pull them back but they were already halfway down the hall. Phoebe pointed at a door and turned back towards them.  
"Is that your room?"  
Danny nodded, even as Piper stood in the doorway, trying to decide what she should do. Leo had been right, of course. This had been a horrible idea. And now her sisters were roaming around a stranger's house, acting as if they owned the place.  
As she stood there, staring at Danny, she remembered his mother, the woman she had killed so many months ago. Piper felt nauseous and she glanced down at her feet, wishing that she had never come. Finally, she took a deep breath and drummed up enough courage to look him in the eye.  
"Can I come in?"  
"Sure," he said. He held the door open for her, then nodded back down the hall. "I mean they're already here."  
"I know, sorry." Piper slowly stepped into the house. She thought about grabbing her sisters and making a run for it. But that would only prove that the guilt was still there and that she couldn't face it. She'd spent so much of her time convincing everyone that she was all right. Now it was time to show it. Besides, she needed Danny's help. Without him, the real Prue and Phoebe might never return.  
"I just wanted to talk to you for a couple of minutes," she said finally. "Are we bothering you because we can come back later, if-"  
"No," Danny said quickly. "Uncle Edward and Flynt are in the garage and Carson already left."  
"Good." Piper clasped her hands together. She didn't need any more witnesses to this conversation. It was bad enough she had the two juvenile ones. "That's very good."  
"We can hang out in my room."  
Piper nodded and followed him, happy for the short delay. She needed the extra time to find the right words, to figure out just what she was going to say to the boy. Piper glanced around as they walked. And she also needed to figure out exactly what had become of her sisters.  
But as she entered the room, she spotted both Phoebe and Prue lounging on the floor. They had already discovered a box of old toys and were hastily searching through it, even as Piper glared at them. But Danny didn't seem to mind. He was staring at her, waiting anxiously for her to say something. Piper thought she saw a tiny hint of the googley eyes syndrome, and she bit her lip. This certainly wouldn't be easy.  
"So um, I was just wondering..." Piper crossed her arms, trying to smile. She knew she was going to sound crazy. But she had to say something. "Have you ever tried any, you know, magic or anything like that?"  
"Magic?" Danny seemed a little surprised. Surprised is good, Piper thought. At least he doesn't look scared.  
"Yeah, magic." Piper nodded quickly, before she could lose him. "Like making things happen when you want them to?"  
"Like spells!" Phoebe's head popped up from the other side of the bed. "Do you cast spells? 'Cause we can-"  
"Can't," Piper said hurriedly trying not to look as worried as she actually felt. She'd forgotten how much of a big mouth Phoebe had been as a child. "We can't, but we thought maybe you could...for um, for some reason." She turned, pretending to examine his room. Danny was giving her that look, that Piper's-crazy-so-what-should-I-say-now look.  
"Did you know my mother or something?" he asked abruptly.  
Piper's eyes widened and she was ready to leave. Any minute now, Phoebe was going to pop up again and blow everything. Either that or Piper would just die right there on the spot. Already she could feel her heart starting to race, her mind screaming at her for lying to some poor innocent child. There was that feeling; that horrible guilt that wouldn't let her forget. There was no longer any way she could look at Danny without seeing Faith.  
"Piper?"  
"Huh?" She glanced up at him, snapping back to attention.  
"Did you know my mom?"  
"Your mom?" Piper swallowed nervously, twisting the ring on her finger. She could hear little alarm bells going off in her head. She half expected Faith to arrive on the scene. "That's an interesting story actually. Your mother and I were kind of, well, I guess you could say..."  
"You were friends," Danny answered for her. More like mortal enemies, Piper thought. Oh yeah, and then there's that part where I killed her. "So you knew she was a witch?"  
Piper gritted her teeth to keep her mouth from falling open. Danny obviously hadn't been trained very well in keeping the family secret. Then again, Phoebe had nearly broadcast hers through the house only moments before.  
"Yes," Piper said, relief sweeping through her. At least the whole magic thing was out in the open. "Yes, I knew she was a witch."  
"That's so great!" Danny's face broke into a grin. "I didn't know you knew Mom!" His face turned a little sad and Piper felt horribly ashamed of herself. "Why didn't you come to her funeral? I wish I had seen you there."  
"I-I was..." she stopped. "I was helping Prue at work that day."  
"Did not!" she heard Prue say.  
"Yes, yes. I remember." Piper nodded. "I really wanted to go, but-"  
"It's okay," Danny said. "Lots of other people came. Everyone really liked her."  
"I'll bet." Piper shifted uncomfortably, then looked at the ground. What was she doing here, leading this child to believe total lies? Hadn't she hurt him enough already?  
"Listen," she said finally. "I just wanted to know if, well Phoebe's been acting a little strange, and I just thought-" Piper swallowed again. "I thought maybe since you've been hanging out with her so much at the play, that maybe you'd know why."  
Out of the corner of her eye, Piper saw her sisters look up. Silence fell over the room as the embarrassment crossed Danny's face. Piper wasn't sure what to do, whether she should press him, or just let him sit there, thinking it over. She was terrified that one of her sisters might say something, and she watched them carefully, praying that they would keep quiet.  
Finally, Danny stood and walked over to his shelf. He shoved a few books aside, to reveal a smaller red volume he had hidden in the back. He slid it off of the shelf then flipped to a marked section. Then he turned and reluctantly gave it to Piper.  
"What's this?"  
"My spell book," he said quietly, returning to the bed. He sat back down, suddenly preoccupied with his shoe laces.  
Boredom settled over Prue's face and she disappeared behind the bed again, pulling Phoebe down with her. Piper sighed as she glanced over at Danny. The boy looked a little unsure of himself as he nodded towards the book.  
"I cast a spell and somehow, I don't know. I guess it rubbed off or something."  
_Or something is right,_ Piper thought.  
"Why would you cast a spell on yourself?" Phoebe's head shot up. Piper silently cursed herself for discussing this in the same room as her overly curious sister.  
"It wasn't for me," Danny mumbled, trying to turn away so that they couldn't see his face. But Phoebe wasn't about to let him off that easily. She stared at him, waiting for him to finish. When he didn't, she was only too ready to help him along.  
"Who was it for then?"  
"No one," he said. "It was just a stupid spell."  
"You cast a spell for no one?" Phoebe narrowed her eyes. Piper turned and gestured for her to go back to the toys. But Phoebe ignored her. Instead she watched Danny, completely disinterested in everything else. "That seems like a pretty dumb spell."  
"No," he said finally, his voice barely audible. "It was for Piper."  
Piper's legs nearly fell out from under her and she slowly lowered herself onto the bed. The realization finally hit her. Danny's googley eyes had been much more than that. Out of everyone at that stupid play he had become attached to her, to the person who had ruined his life. And all along, Piper had found his crush cute, funny even. She glanced over at Phoebe who had rested her chin on the comforter.  
"You liked her that much?"  
"Yeah," Danny's voice just kept dropping. He looked a little bit pale, then suddenly brightened. He laughed a little as he closed the book for her. "But don't worry, I don't like you like that now. That'd just be weird."  
"Oh," Piper said, nodding a little. "Well, that's good, I mean that you..." she trailed off. An uncomfortable silence fell over the room. Piper didn't know what to say. For once, she was speechless.  
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**Piper hadn't even noticed, Prue thought. She'd been too wrapped up in her little chat with Danny to be watching. Prue grinned at the thought. It was so obvious that he liked her. The poor kid didn't have a chance. Piper was going to break his little heart before they could leave. But Prue certainly wasn't going to be there to see it.  
Slowly, she crept down the hall. She'd heard Danny say that his uncle and cousins were outside, but still she was careful not to make too much noise. Piper would kill her for exploring. But Prue was sick of listening to her. Piper wasn't her mother, and she wasn't her boss. She was Prue's little sister. And Prue certainly didn't have to take anything from her. She'd given Piper a Porsche, and her sister hadn't even bothered to thank her. Prue sighed as she glanced around, eager to find something interesting to look at. That was the last time she ever helped Piper.  
If Danny's mother really had been a witch and Danny had powers too, then the house had to have something cool in it. Pushing open a door at the far end of the hall she realized that she'd found the basement. She turned around, careful to make sure that no one was watching, then took the stairs down two at a time.  
The basement was pitch black and she fumbled around for a light switch. But she couldn't find one. Prue stumbled around in the darkness, tripping over different objects on the floor. Finally she stopped in the middle of the room and took a deep breath. She had never been afraid of the darkness before, but now... She felt her blood running cold as she turned in a circle, trying to get her eyes to adjust.  
_Smart move,_ Prue, she thought. _You couldn't have gone to the second floor?_  
Slowly, she reached out into the darkness and took a few steps farther into the room and away from the safety of the semi-lit stairwell. She wasn't going to be a baby about this. _There's nothing to be afraid of,_ she reminded herself.  
Suddenly her hand hit a wall. She slid it down, then jumped back as something sliced into her palm. Prue bit her lip, blinking back tears as she scrunched her fingers into a fist. Cautiously, she stuck her other hand out and finally found the light switch.  
As soon as the lights came on, Prue spun around, trying to ignore the pain in her hand. The room was full of cool stuff, not the least of which was the huge knife that was mounted on the wall right in front of her. There seemed to be hundreds of daggers surrounding it, and Prue looked from one to the other, admiring the beautiful carvings on each.  
The rest of the walls were lined with bookcases holding a large number of ancient looking texts. There were some more weapons resting on the top shelves, weapons Prue didn't even recognize. She had thought she'd seen everything while working at Bucklands. But she had been wrong. These weapons were bigger, some with blades longer than her arm. Prue couldn't resist the temptation.  
Reaching up towards one of the knives, she motioned it forward. It floated effortlessly through the air, gently landing in her good hand. She took a closer look at the ornate carvings, thoroughly intrigued. The weapon gave her a sense of strength she had never felt before, not even when using her own power. But it wasn't the same. It seemed to be missing the positive energy and after only a few seconds Prue wanted to be rid of it. She felt suddenly ill, weak, as the strength that had surged through her only moments before began to seep away.  
"What are you doing down here?"  
Prue turned abruptly, dropping the knife. She bent down to pick it up as her eyes shot towards the figure at the top of the stairs. She couldn't quite make out his features as he stood in the doorway.  
"I was, um-" Prue felt her mouth go dry as she set the knife down on a nearby table. "I was looking for the bathroom."  
"This obviously isn't it," the man snapped, his voice a little more menacing than Prue would have liked. As he slowly made his way down the stairs, she recognized him. It was Edward, Danny's uncle.  
"I'm really sorry." Prue said quickly. She couldn't decide if she was more frightened or embarrassed. But neither felt good. As Edward came closer he picked up the knife, holding it out in front of her. His demeanor changed almost immediately but that only increased the creepiness factor.  
"Beautiful piece, isn't it?" He smiled at her. "It's an heirloom, one that has been in my family for countless centuries. I certainly wouldn't want anything to happen to it."  
Prue stepped back a little, suddenly wishing that she had stuck with her sisters.  
"It's fine," she said. "Nothing happened to it. It's.."  
"Prue!" She could hear Piper yelling from the floor up above them. Prue sighed in relief as Edward lowered the weapon. "Prue, where are you?"  
"That's my sister," she said, hastily moving around him. "Gotta go."  
Prue ran up the stairs without looking back, and met Piper halfway down the hall. For once, Piper didn't look angry. She just looked tired, and maybe a little sad, as she clutched a small red book to her chest. Phoebe stood next to her, still smiling, completely oblivious to whatever had happened.  
"Come on." Prue grabbed Phoebe's hand and led her towards the door. Piper followed them without saying a word.  
**

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**Danny fell back onto his bed, throwing his pillow over his face. Piper hadn't really said anything when he'd told her the truth. All she had wanted was a way to reverse the spell, nothing else. She'd hardly seemed to care what he had done for her, or had tried to do with the best of intentions. Maybe she wasn't all that he thought she was. Maybe she never had been. Of course, what could Danny have really expected? He'd cast a silly spell, and gotten a lousy result. His mother would have given him the I-told-you-so speech.  
"You shouldn't have done that."  
Danny quickly lifted his pillow, pushing himself up onto his elbows. His uncle had slipped in undetected, and now he stood there, staring at Danny.  
'"I didn't know you were in here."  
"Well, I was," he said. The anger flashed through his eyes as he looked out the window. Danny could hear Piper's car starting up. And then she was gone. His uncle turned back to him, clenching his fists. "What was running through your head when you let them inside? What did she say to you?"  
"Piper just wanted to ask me something." Danny rolled over onto his stomach. His talk with Piper had been embarrassing enough. Reliving the whole thing didn't sound all that fun.  
"What did she want?"  
"Nothing," he mumbled into his pillow. "I don't want to talk about it."  
"Danny, this is important." Uncle Edward came and stood over him, and Danny could feel the man's eyes boring into his back. He shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny, but still he refused to look up. He didn't understand why the man cared. All he'd been worried about before was the ceremony.  
"I told her about the spell, okay?" he said, mad that his uncle would push him on this. "She knew Mom was a witch and so..."  
"What did she say?" his uncle demanded.  
"Nothing. I gave her my book and now she's gonna try and reverse it." Danny rolled over to stare at his uncle. But obviously his uncle was waiting for more. "That's it!" Danny felt his frustration rising within him. "That's all that happened."  
"Fine," he growled, "but if they come over again tell me first, okay?"  
"Don't worry about it." Danny laid his head back on the pillow. "They won't be back any time soon." **


	39. Chapter 38

**"This isn't fair!" Piper slammed the little book shut then rested her head on it. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. _It'll be all right, Piper,_ she said to herself. Someway, somehow, you are going to figure out a way to reverse this stupid spell!  
She sighed and lifted her head, propping her elbows up on the table. Once more, she opened the book, paging through it until she found the right spot. There it was, right where he had marked it, the spell that had wreaked serious havoc on her life. But that was it. There was no reversal spell, no way to change it back. There was nothing.   
"Oh, okay, this is some kind of joke, right? Great sense of humor you guys got up there." She looked skyward, wondering if someone was listening. "Well ha-ha, do you see me having fun with this?"  
"I knew you'd go over the edge sooner or later." Prue came strutting through the kitchen. "But I kind of thought you'd show it in a more original way. I mean talking to yourself, doesn't rate real high on excitement."  
"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" Piper grumbled. "Somewhere far, far away."  
"You get all bitter if I even step out of the house." Prue checked the cupboards, then turned back towards the counter. "And now I'm not allowed to make my own lunch? Starvation doesn't suit me, Piper."  
"Yeah, well neither does your new personality," she muttered. She eyed her older sister, a little surprised at her food choices. She watched as Prue spread a huge amount of peanut butter on one piece of bread, then topped it off with a few potato chips. "That's disgusting."   
"Why do you care?" Prue scowled at her as she reached into the refrigerator. She pulled out a soda and popped it open, then hopped up onto the counter.  
"And I repeat, don't you have somewhere else to be?" Piper frowned, watching as Prue picked at the chips. "I'm sure Phoebe would love to play one of the bazillions of games you made from the book. Or how about hide and seek? You can hide first."  
"I think I'll pass." Prue jumped down to the floor and opened the freezer. She leaned over, disappearing behind the door, then closed it, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "What happened to all the good stuff?"  
Piper smiled to herself. She'd made a point of raiding the kitchen the previous night. All of Prue's additions to the shopping cart were long gone. A little less sugar in her sisters' systems had to be a good thing, if only for her sanity.  
"Piper, where did you put the ice cream?" she demanded as she stepped towards the table. Piper didn't bother to look up at her. The ice cream had gone out with the garbage, but there was no sense telling Prue that. Prue scowled at her, then grabbed Danny's book, sliding it out from under her eyes. "Ice cream for the book."   
"Prue, give that back right now!"  
"Give me back my food." Prue backed away as Piper hurriedly got to her feet.   
"Prudence!"  
"Piper!" Prue darted around the island in the center of the kitchen, waiting for her sister to follow. But as soon as Piper took a step towards her, Prue took one in the opposite direction, so that there was always a barrier between them. Piper finally stopped and leaned over the stovetop.  
"Okay, Prue. This might have been cute when you were three feet tall." She crossed her arms as Prue smiled. "Actually it was probably annoying. And let me tell you things haven't changed much."   
"Nope, I'm still older, and you're still a big pain."  
"All right the latter part I might give you, but I beg to differ on the older issue."  
"Let me tell you something, sis." Prue leaned across the island cautiously, ever wary of Piper. "I've lived longer and I know you better than anyone. So you can't hide anything from me."   
With a smirk, Prue tossed the book at her. Then with a wave of her arm, she opened the cupboard door farthest from them. Piper sighed as all the cookies and candy spilled out onto the floor. As Prue motioned at them, three of the boxes floated through the air and into her hands.  
"Fine, just take it." Piper narrowed her eyes. "The oldest always gets what they want right?"  
"You're learning." Prue grinned then spun around on one foot, disappearing back through the doorway. Piper watched her go, horrified that she could dislike her own sister. But there was no getting around it. As much as she loved Prue in that required sisterly way, the girl could be downright annoying.  
"I can't believe Mom wanted more kids after having that one," Piper muttered as she sat down at the table.  
Of course, Prue hadn't been like that when she had actually been little. She'd been a pretty okay older sister. Maybe that was the problem. Because now Piper was the older one, the one with authority. _If you can even call it that,_ she thought.  
"Yep, this pretty much sucks..." she mumbled under her breath. She closed her eyes, letting her face fall into her hands.   
"Problems?"  
Piper heard Leo's voice. She couldn't help but smile as he reached down and hugged her from behind, kissing her on the top of the head. She grabbed his hands, letting their fingers intertwine. Then she glanced up at him.  
"We're missing out on the reversal spell, so there's no way to get Prue and Phoebe back to their older, much more fun to be around selves..." she explained with a sigh. "And it gets even better..."   
"Do I want to hear this?"   
"That spell was meant for me."  
"What?" Leo let go of her slowly as he came and sat next to her. His eyes had widened considerably, and Piper could tell he was considering her words. "You were his target?"  
"That's right." Piper folded her hands in front of her. "You could've had a nice little Piper running around and freezing everything in sight. I had to have been better than Prue."   
"It was meant for you?"   
"Yep." Piper shoved the book in his direction. "Remember little Danny? That was supposed to make me like him. I guess I should've told him that flowers and candy would have sufficed."  
"I'll keep that in mind." Leo glanced up at her, then read over the spell.  
"Well at least if it had been me, I wouldn't be the one playing Mommy Dearest."  
"Issues with Prue?"  
"I think she might be entering her teenage years," Piper said. "I don't even have the words to describe her."  
"On the bright side, it could be a sign that the spell's wearing off."  
"I doubt I'm that lucky. I mean, this..." She glanced over at the pile of snacks that Prue had left on the floor. "This is just madness. It's not like they put out a lot of parenting manuals on bringing up telekinetic kids. I'm beginning to think Grams had ulterior motives when she bound our powers." Piper slid her chair back and walked over to the pile of sweets. "I'm sure the grocery bill took a big cut."  
"So what are you going to do about this spell?"  
"What can I do?" Piper asked as she picked up the boxes and placed them back on the shelves. "There's no way to fix it. I mean I'm open to suggestions. Am I supposed to drag them everywhere with me? P3 has an age requirement."  
"The spell should wear off, like I said."  
"That's not a whole lot of comfort, Leo." Piper pressed her lips together as the duck came waddling into the room. She hadn't quite figured out how to get rid of him. The Book of Shadows hadn't really been much help on that front. "I mean Prue, she's not just any child. She's like the holy terror of Wiccan children. I could release her on the demon population and they'd run screaming." Piper crossed her arms as she glared at the duck. "I've actually been considering that."  
"Well, it might make sense seeing as though a demon found its way into your house last night," Leo reminded her.  
"You really like rubbing that in, don't you?"  
"Yeah, actually I do." Leo was giving her his serious face. Piper hated when he did that. "That demon is a lot more dangerous than your sister."  
"Give Prue time." Piper gave him a tight smile. But he wasn't smiling back. "All right, fine. Vargo demon first, Prue's mayhem and destruction later."  
"Thank you." Leo looked relieved, not happy, but close enough. Piper nodded then halted in her tracks as the duck crossed the floor in front of her. As she stepped around her feathery friend, it quacked in protest then suddenly started flapping its wings.  
"On no," she began, but it had already lifted off of the ground. Piper threw her hands out and watched as it stopped in mid-air. She smiled, clasping her hands together as she glanced over at her frozen whitelighter. She nodded towards the duck. "Okay, getting rid of this guy first, then the Vargo demon. Any protests?" She waited. "Nope? All righty then."   
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**Prue pulled her wet hair back into a ponytail, then reached out and wiped the mist from the bathroom mirror. She examined her reflection for a moment, then frowned. She really needed more time to prepare. She still had most of the afternoon left and lots to do in that time. But if she didn't leave soon, then Piper might lock her in. Prue wasn't going to put it past her. Piper was being a total pain today.  
"Prue!"  
And speaking of Piper, she thought, rolling her eyes. She heard her sister's footsteps on the stairs and quickly closed the bathroom door. But within a few seconds Piper was standing outside, banging on it. Prue tried to ignore her as she grabbed for the necklace she had left on the sink. She fastened the clasp and smiled. It was Piper's necklace of course, but that only made it look that much nicer on her.  
"Prue!" Piper yelled again. Prue sighed and motioned towards the door. It flew open and Piper stood there, her eyes wide with surprise.  
"What?" Prue demanded. She heard the phone ringing somewhere in the house, but neither she nor Piper bothered to answer it. Prue slowly stepped towards the door, and leaned against it as Piper regarded her. As usual she didn't look happy.  
"Have you seen the Book of Shadows?"  
"No." Prue shook her head and tried to close the door again. But Piper held it open, a suspicious look on her face.  
"Why don't I believe you?"  
Prue shrugged as Phoebe appeared behind Piper. She reached over Piper's head, and handed Prue the cordless phone.  
"It's your boss."  
"Thanks," Prue said, pushing them both out of the room. Then she slammed the door and locked it before Piper could get it open again. She could hear her sister grumbling outside as she pulled the phone up to her ear.  
"Prue, where are you?"  
Prue bit her lip as she recognized Mr. Corso's voice on the other end of the line.   
"I-uh," Prue closed her eyes, trying to think. She was good at excuses, but none were coming to her at the moment. Finally, she opted for her lamest response. "I was sick. But I'm all better now."  
"Good," he said as he rushed ahead. "I need you here right now. Actually I needed you here ten minutes ago."  
"Oooh, um, I'm not sure I can..." she trailed off as she heard her boss muttering something under his breath. Prue tried to ignore Piper's constant banging as she paced through the bathroom. She hated work, but she wasn't about to get fired. Her sisters would never let her hear the end of it. "Okay, I'll be there."   
"You'd better get here soon or..."  
_Yeah, yeah, I know_ she thought, letting him babble. She tried to concentrate on what he was saying then finally gave up. She turned back towards the mirror, adjusting her ponytail. She could still see her reflection through the portion she'd wiped off. But now, just above that, something was happening. As she watched, Prue slowly dropped the phone down to her side. It was as if an invisible hand was reaching out with one finger and writing something across the mirror.  
"Prue!" Piper yelled again. She had finally stopped hitting the door and Prue heard her sigh. "Fine, but you'd better not have that book!"  
Prue thought about yelling out to her, but she let her sister go, and instead kept staring at the mirror, her eyes glued to each letter that was written across it. But as soon as she got to the third letter she knew. Prue sucked in her breath, letting the phone fall to the floor. She could hear Mr. Corso shouting on the other end, but she no longer cared. The letters on the top of the mirror spelled out PIPER.   
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**"Piper!"   
Piper groaned as she heard Phoebe's footsteps pounding down the stairs. The duck had unfrozen and was flapping around the kitchen, and Leo was staring up at her in confusion, having just unfrozen himself.  
"You froze me, didn't you?" He sighed, crossing his arms in annoyance. "I hate it when you do that."  
"Well, if I could freeze Prue instead of you, believe me I would," Piper told him. "But for now you're the only one who freezes, so you're just gonna have to learn to-" Piper gritted her teeth as duck doodie landed on their kitchen table. "Oh that's it!" She threw out her hands and everything froze again. She smiled a little at Leo's expression. He had obviously realized what she was doing.  
"Piper!" Phoebe was still searching the house for her. Finally, she came into the kitchen, sliding across the floor in her socks. She latched onto Piper and shook her even as Piper tried to wriggle out of her grasp.   
"She's here!" Phoebe said breathlessly. "I saw her, she was so mad!"  
"Phoebe, what are you-"  
"Piper!"  
Now it was Prue's turn to scream her name through the house. Piper winced and finally pried her sister's fingers from her arm. This clingy thing, while sweet, was getting old fast. Just as she managed to take a step back from Phoebe though, Prue appeared in the kitchen.  
"Your name was in the mirror!" she said quickly.  
"My name was in the mirror..." Piper wasn't quite sure how to respond to that one. Prue was staring at her as if she should know what it meant. But Piper was feeling rather clueless at the moment. She thought about unfreezing Leo and getting his input, but she had a feeling he would only add to the confusion. He was still on his demon kick after all.  
"It was her, I told you!" Phoebe said. "Let's go, I don't want to stay anymore!"  
"Phoebe, what is-"  
Piper stopped as a chill ran through her body. Someone was watching them, she could feel it. She cast a sideways glance at Leo and the duck. But they were still frozen. Nothing had moved in the room except for her and her sisters. Still though, something just felt...off.  
Piper held her breath for a moment, and looked around, trying not to appear scared in front of her sisters. And that was when she saw it, a coffee mug sliding ever so slowly across the counter. She turned and glared at Prue.  
"Don't do that!"  
"It's not me," Prue insisted and Piper believed her. She reluctantly looked back at the mug and watched as it crashed to the floor. These supernatural occurrences were taking a heavy toll on their dishes. But, at the moment, that was the least of her worries as one by one their cupboards started to open. The house creaked as a sudden gust of wind blew through. Piper kept perfectly still, her eyes glued to the mug on the ground.  
"Okay," she said slowly. "Let's not panic."  
"Scared now," she heard Phoebe whisper. Piper couldn't really blame her. Then suddenly the dishes that had been stacked so neatly on the cupboard shelves began to move, picking up speed as they flew across the room. Piper ducked as one of them nearly took off her head. Phoebe threw herself to the floor, shrieking as she crawled towards the door.  
"Okay, everyone out-now!" Piper yelled, turning and shoving Prue towards the hallway. Phoebe was blocking their escape and Prue quickly helped her up, hurrying her towards the front door.  
"Wait, my spell!" Piper saw her little sister's eyes light up as Phoebe stopped abruptly then made a sharp turn towards the stairs. Piper tripped along after her, avoiding the dining room chairs that fell in her path. Prue took a flying leap over the furniture and made a mad dash for the door. Piper glanced from her to Phoebe, trying to decide which one to go after.  
"Phoebe, forget the spell!"  
"But I can make her stop!"  
Piper tried to grab for her, but Phoebe was moving full speed up the steps. Piper whirled around and saw Prue stop just before the front door. She eyed Piper, unsure of what she should do.  
"Go wait by the car!" Piper said. But Prue shook her head and returned to her side, glancing around the house in pure wonder. The manor was suddenly alive with activity. If Piper hadn't known better she would have declared it an earthquake. But, there was also an air current moving through, blowing the lighter objects up off the ground. Piper pulled her hair back with one hand, holding it there as she surveyed the house.  
The chandelier was swinging and anything not glued to the floor was shifting about. The tornado from the Wizard of Oz had suddenly touched down at Halliwell Manor. Piper looked desperately towards Prue who had always been so calm in crazy situations. Her older sister didn't seem afraid, just confused. But still, she watched in silent fascination as things flew through the air. After a moment she lifted her hands and, using her powers, began to redirect the objects around the room. Piper watched as a smile slowly appeared on her face. She was enjoying this!  
"Prue, your new playmate is trying to kill us!" Piper had to yell over the sound of the furniture hitting the walls.  
"Piper-"  
"No, just go get Phoebe!" Piper said. She felt a wave of relief as Prue actually complied. She scrambled up the stairs, holding the railing to keep her balance against the wind. Piper turned around then, remembering their frozen whitelighter.  
"Oh, Leo!" She ducked back into the kitchen and was about to unfreeze him when she heard a squealing sound. She reluctantly turned and saw the basement door opening behind her. And then suddenly, Piper felt herself flying through the air straight towards the doorway. Piper shrieked as she grabbed for the frame, her feet finally touching the ground once again. She tried to claw her way back into the kitchen but it was as if something were sucking her down towards the basement. Piper felt her fingers slipping and she dragged her shoes along the top step, struggling to keep herself from tumbling backwards. As the door in front of her finally slammed shut, Piper was forced to let go of the frame. For a moment, she thought she'd be able to keep her balance. But then she took a step back. Too late, Piper realized her mistake and she screamed as she fell down the long flight of stairs. **


	40. Chapter 39

**Danny paced around the living room for a few more minutes, picking up a comic book, then throwing it back to the floor. He turned and grabbed for the remote, then flicked the TV on. Nothing looked interesting as he sat down and channel surfed, and eventually he shut the TV off, and lay down across the couch, staring up at the ceiling.  
He was bored, very, very bored. Combine that with the excitement and anticipation over what was about to happen, and he was practically jumping out of his skin. _It wasn't fair,_ he thought. Flynt and his Uncle should have taken him with them. It was his ritual thing after all. And they wouldn't even let him participate in the prep work.  
"Fine," Danny said, leaping to his feet. "I'll get ready on my own then."  
He sped down the hall and nearly turned into his room. But at the last minute he caught sight of the basement door. They had never liked him going down there on his own. Danny had always suspected that they were worried he'd hurt himself, but now he was curious.   
He slowly pushed the door open, wincing as the hinges squealed. He felt along the wall for a light switch, then turned it on, making his way down the stairs. Danny glanced around at all of the weapons up on the walls, wondering if they would train him to use them. He knew he'd make a great ninja, or fighter, or whatever it was that they were. His entire family had powers, but his were supposed to be the very best. That meant that he'd be the best, just as soon as learned enough. Danny pivoted on one foot, then glanced over at the bookshelves. _Well, the lessons start now,_ he thought.  
Sliding a huge volume off of the shelf, he let it fall to the floor in front of him. He coughed as dust flew up around him, then finally settled back to the ground. The first page of the book read "Vargo Family."  
Vargo... Danny mouthed the word. He'd heard it once or twice in the conversations that he wasn't supposed to be listening to. So that was their family name. He smiled a little as he said it out loud. Then he flipped through the text-heavy pages. There was so much to read, and his patience wore thin as he noticed the book's complete lack of pictures. But then he realized one of the pages was marked. The heading read "The Prophecy."  
Danny scanned the words quickly. Someone was supposed to arrive, to lead this family back to its greatness... Greatness, Danny smiled at the thought. Flynt didn't have a great bone in his body, and Carson... Danny rolled his eyes and read on. This leader would come, he would prove himself to be the most powerful ever, going through the hardest of tests. And it would be on the longest day of the year.   
Today... Danny realized. Today is the longest day of the year. Danny's smile turned into a grin. He was the prophecy. This book had to be hundreds of years old, but he was in it. Some kid who knew nothing about this mysterious Vargo family. They had been waiting for him. It was the year 2000, and even with all the ancient mysterious rituals and prophecies, the party was about to begin.  
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**"I got it!" Phoebe nearly ran into Prue as she came racing out of her room, clutching the slightly crumpled piece of paper. Prue caught hold of her as she tried to get down the hall. Upstairs everything was normal. But she could still hear the commotion coming from the ground floor. "I'm gonna make her go away!"  
"Phoebe, you can't make her do anything!" Prue said as she took the piece of paper away from her sister. She looked it over and Phoebe saw a small smile spread across her face. "The witch looks like that mean lady at the gas station!"  
"It's not funny!" Phoebe yelled, feeling somewhat hurt at her sister's reaction. She tore the paper out of her grasp and glared at Prue. For a moment, it didn't seem to matter what was happening downstairs. All she wanted was for Prue to shut up and leave her alone. "It was for Piper anyway!"  
"Well I'm sure Piper appreciated it..."  
Phoebe made a face as she detected Prue's sarcasm.  
"You're just mad, 'cuz Piper likes me better!"  
"Does not!" Prue crossed her arms. "You're always all whiny, all "Oh, I'm so scared!" She imitated Phoebe's fearful expression. "You're the biggest baby!"  
"Am not!"  
"Are too!"  
"No wonder she hates you!" Phoebe shoved past Prue on her way down the stairs. She grabbed hold of the banister and took a few steps, then screamed as a vase came flying at her. It smashed into the wall behind her head, spraying the stairs with ceramic shards.  
"Phoebe!" She turned and saw Prue hurrying down the hall. "Are you okay?"  
"She's really mad now," Phoebe mumbled as Prue grabbed hold of her hand. "Prue, she's gonna kill us."  
"I won't let her," Prue promised. Using her other hand to deflect a couch pillow and a multitude of other things heading their way, Prue dragged her the rest of the way down the stairs. Phoebe couldn't see Faith right then, but she knew that the ghost was nearby.  
"Where's Piper?" Phoebe demanded as she let go of Prue's hand. She whirled around, searching for their sister. But Piper was gone. Had she left them or had the ghost finally gotten her?  
Phoebe swallowed hard as she peeked into the living room. And then suddenly the house was still. There were a few crashing sounds as airborne objects fell to the floor. Phoebe held her breath, waiting for something else to happen. But the only things moving were the feathers from the torn pillows. They drifted in the air for a moment before finally settling back to the couch.  
"Okay, what just happened?" Prue pivoted around, the shock registering on her face. "Did you do something?"  
"Nuh uh." Phoebe was a little disappointed as she glanced down at the piece of paper she held in her hand. "I never even got to use it."  
"Where's Piper?"  
"That's what I asked!"  
"Well now I'm asking it," Prue said as she stepped into the living room.   
Phoebe glanced around again, then followed her sister. That premonition, she still remembered it, that horrible image of Piper collapsing. What if something had actually happened? Phoebe looked down at her spell with a feeling of dread. She'd been too late with it, she could already tell.  
Phoebe nervously tugged at her necklace as they searched through the room. Prue had her back to her, but Phoebe could tell she was tense. Prue was just as scared as she was, but trying to hide it. Finally, she turned and motioned towards Phoebe, hurrying her into the parlor. Together they waded through the piles of books and rearranged furniture, then moved on to the kitchen.  
"Prue, where is she?" Phoebe felt a lump in her throat as she saw all the broken dishes. Leo was still sitting at the table, completely frozen. Prue waved her hand in front of his face, but he didn't even blink.  
"How long do these stupid freezes last, anyway?" Prue asked. But Phoebe just shrugged. She was starting to feel numb inside as the premonition ran over and over in her mind. She squeezed her eyelids shut, trying to make it go away. But then, with the rest of the world shut out, the vision only became clearer. She sighed, trembling as she opened her eyes.  
"Prue," she touched her sister's arm gently. "I don't want Piper to die like Mom did. We need all three of us."  
"Phoebe, she's fine, okay?"  
"But where is she?"  
"Not here, I guess," Prue said. "But she's somewhere, we just gotta find her."  
"How?" Phoebe sat down at the table across from Leo and rested her head on her arms. She held her little spell out in front of her face, peering at it through watery eyes. She tried to smile at it, to laugh at how ugly she'd made the ghost. But it didn't erase that horrible feeling. She bit her lip and glanced over at her remaining sister. "Please find her now, Prue."  
"Piper!" Prue yelled, her eyes moving about the room as if her sister would appear any minute. "Piper, where are you? You're scaring Phoebe!"  
"I'm not scared," Phoebe mumbled, but Prue just ignored her.  
"And Leo's all frozen," she continued on. "He's gonna be mad!" Prue wandered around the island in the middle of the kitchen before her eyes finally set upon the basement door. She glanced back at Phoebe. "So what do you think, door number one?"   
Phoebe's eyes widened as she saw the ghost suddenly appear beside Prue. She shook her head, trying to warn her sister as she reached for the doorknob. But Phoebe couldn't get the words out fast enough. As soon as Prue touched the knob, she jerked back, then went flying across the room, landing near Phoebe's chair.  
"Prue!" Phoebe leapt out of her seat and tugged on Prue's shirt until she was able to stand again. Prue brushed her hair out of her eyes, then glanced back at the door. Phoebe could still see the ghost hovering next to it, barring their way to the basement.  
"Well," Prue said. "I think we have a winner."  
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**"Oh god," Piper groaned, trying to roll over. She pressed her palm against her forehead, as her brain swam. She had landed on the cold, hard floor of the basement. But luckily in her tumble her feet had hit the ground first, before her head had come crashing down after them.  
Piper blinked as her vision blurred a little. But then the world came back into focus and she tried once more to roll over onto her stomach. She was successful this time and she slowly pushed herself up with her arms, testing her weight.  
"All right," she mumbled to herself. "I'm still alive." She glanced around, trying to slow her racing heart. "This is a good thing."   
She thought she heard a banging sound upstairs and she began to rethink her words. _I'm alive for now anyway, _she reminded herself as she finally stood. She took a few shaky steps, happy to see that her limbs weren't jutting out at odd angles. Evil wouldn't let her take a sick day. And somewhere up those stairs were Prue, Phoebe, a frozen Leo and a very angry ghost.   
"Still in one piece and ready to fight another day," Piper said, trying out her own version of a pep talk. But she still wasn't feeling too peppy. She'd managed to escape serious injury but her brain was having a hard time communicating that to her very bruised body. She grabbed the stair railing to steady herself and took the steps one by one. Somewhere above her, she could hear Prue calling her name. And then there was another crash. Piper froze, remembering how easily the ghost had thrown her around. Just because Prue wasn't on her immediate hit list, didn't mean that Faith had to spare her.  
"Prue!" she yelled as she hurried the rest of the way up the stairs. Her entire body protested as she hauled herself up to the top step, but Piper ignored the pain. Her anger and fear were quickly pushing it out of her mind. "Prue!" She tried to open the door, but it was jammed. There was no getting through it. "Prue, are you okay?" She banged on the door, wincing as she shoved her shoulder against it.  
"Piper!"   
Piper pushed her ear against the heavy door as she heard Phoebe calling her.  
"Is Prue with you?"  
"I'm right here," Prue said.  
"Thank God," Piper mumbled to herself, finally relaxing. Still leaning against the door, she slid back to the floor with a sigh of relief. She closed her eyes for a moment, wondering how many new bruises were forming on her body. The fight with the door certainly hadn't helped. "Can you open this thing?"  
"Well since there's a kinda scary ghost standing in front of it, I'm gonna have to go with no."  
"What?" Piper's eyes flew open and she tried to peer through the crack underneath the door. "She's still there?"   
"Uh, yeah," Prue said. "She's staring at us."  
"Okay Prue, listen to me very carefully," Piper said, silently praying that Prue would obey her. If she played the hero this time she could get herself killed. Her power wasn't going to work on a ghost. "You and Phoebe have got to get out of the house right now. Go get Darryl or someone to unlock the door and-"   
"We can't leave, Piper!" Phoebe yelled. "Besides, I can get rid of her!"  
Piper's eyes narrowed as she considered what her sister was saying. Last she had checked, Phoebe's current state wasn't quite optimal for ghost vanquishing. And then she heard her sister start to speak again, reciting the words she had written on Piper's picture.  
"Oh God Phoebe, stop!" Piper started banging on the door again. Already she could hear things falling to the floor. Whatever Faith had been doing before, she seemed to be making twice the effort now. _Why the hell isn't Leo unfreezing?_ Piper thought. It sounded like a train was passing through their kitchen. "You're making her angry. We do not need an angry ghost here!"  
But Phoebe only continued, repeating the same spell over and over again, her voice mixing with the sounds of their kitchen's destruction.  
"Prue, stop her!"  
"But, I think it's working!" Prue said.  
"It's not working!" Piper yelled. "The girl wrote it in crayon!"   
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**Prue glanced around in amazement. She couldn't see the ghost, but Prue knew she was there. Things were swirling through the air, dishes, silverware, even Piper's recipe books. But all of the items were moving around them as if they were in the eye of a cyclone, leaving them completely untouched. Prue glanced to one side, eyeing poor Leo. The tablecloth had flown up and covered him, flapping in the gusts that Faith had created. They were going to have a lot of explaining to do once he unfroze.  
Beside her, Phoebe was holding her little piece of paper even as the wind threatened to tear it from her grasp. She shouted out the last line of the spell for the fifth or sixth time. Prue had lost count. And then suddenly they heard a scream. It was long and agonizing and Prue quickly covered her ears to block the sound out. Caught off guard, Phoebe let go of her spell and it flew past her, back into the hall. But then it, along with everything else, fell to the ground abruptly. The scream echoed through the house for a few seconds more, then finally faded away.  
A shiver ran up Prue's spine and she stood there, her hands still covering her ears, not knowing what to do. Everything was so still. It was eerie. She half expected the house to come crashing down around them. But it didn't.  
Prue finally lowered her hands and looked around. Phoebe was still standing in the same spot, only now a small smile had crept across her face. She was staring straight at the basement door and as Prue watched she didn't blink for an entire minute.  
"Phoebe?" Prue took a step towards her, but her little sister hardly acknowledged her presence. Prue reached out and grabbed her gently, but it was as if Phoebe was in a world all her own. "Phoebe, hello? Are we coming back to this planet anytime soon?"  
"I did it!" She blurted out as she abruptly turned towards her sister. She threw her arms around Prue, nearly knocking her off of her feet. Together they stumbled into the little island in the middle of the kitchen. "I killed the ghost lady!"  
"You what?" Piper's voice came through loud and clear now that the ghost-driven tornado had died down. But both Prue and Phoebe ignored her.  
"I did it all by myself." Phoebe was beginning to choke her and Prue pulled away just enough to get a little air back into her lungs.  
"That's good." She patted her sister awkwardly on the back. She wasn't quite sure what to say. She smiled as she glanced around the kitchen once more. Piper certainly wouldn't be able to complain about the mess Prue had made. Faith had taken care of that for her.   
"Prue!" Piper was still yelling from the other side of the door. "Phoebe? What's going on out there?"  
"I killed the ghost!" Phoebe said gleefully. "She's gone, Piper! She can't kill you now!"  
"Are you sure she's gone?" Piper asked. "Prue, is she really gone?"  
"Well…nothing's moving around," Prue said as she stepped towards the door. She twisted the knob and was relieved when she wasn't sent flying. But the lock was still jammed. She had no clue how to get Piper out. And actually she had no real urge to do so anyway.  
"Is Leo there?"  
"Frozen Leo is," Prue said as the phone rang. She whirled around and grabbed for the receiver as Phoebe took her place by the door. She turned and pressed her back against it, trying to use her weight to shove it open.  
"Phoebe, you probably shouldn't-"  
"I can do it," her sister insisted.  
Prue winced as Phoebe took a few steps back, then ran full speed into the door, slamming her shoulder into the heavy piece of wood. But nothing was happening. Phoebe made a noise and grabbed her arm, hopping around in obvious pain. Convinced that she wouldn't try that again, Prue wandered into the hall. She quickly hit the talk button on the cordless phone as she held it up to her ear.  
"Yeah," she said abruptly.  
"Prue, I'm still waiting."  
Prue bit her lip as she heard her boss' voice. He sounded even angrier than he had in his previous phone call, if that was even possible. She headed towards the conservatory and out of Phoebe's line of sight. Half of her was ready to tell her boss what she really thought of him. But some small part of her wanted to keep her job.   
"Sorry, I'll be there soon."   
"Heard that already," he said. "This time you'd better mean it."   
"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it," Prue snapped. She didn't bother to hide the edge in her voice. "I'm coming right now."   
"Well meet me in the parking lot," he grumbled. "I'm going with you on your shoot."   
"What? But-"  
"Just be here, Prue."  
She heard a click as he hung up on her. Prue made a face at the phone as she hit the off button. She should have quit. And if she could've remembered her work number she might very well have called him back to tell him just that. But the number had slipped her mind, and it wasn't like she had anything better to do.   
**


	41. Chapter 40

**Piper crouched down on the step and tried once more to see into the kitchen through the tiny crack under the door. She thought she saw Phoebe's shoes for a second, but then she sneezed as she inhaled the dust from the floor.  
"Bless you!" Phoebe called from the other side. Piper pressed her lips together to keep from smiling as she brushed the dust off her clothes. The whole situation was utterly ridiculous.  
"All right Phoebe," she said finally. "See if you can unfreeze Leo. Just shake him or something."  
"Wrong power, Piper."  
Piper sighed in frustration and waved her hands at the small opening to the kitchen. If life were at all fair her power would have reached into the other room. But of course, she couldn't be that lucky. And now that her time freezes had gotten longer, she had no idea when he might come back to them.  
"Prue, where are you going?" She heard Phoebe say. But Prue wasn't responding. Piper waited a moment, trying to decide what her sisters were doing.  
"Prue?" Piper said finally. "Are you there?"  
"I gotta go," she said. "I haven't been to work all day."  
"You can't go!" Piper protested. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Prue had clearly lost her priority list at about the same time she had lost her mind. "Hello, do you remember the demon?"  
"We just got rid of a ghost!" Prue reminded her. "Time for a break."  
"Oh no, no, no. We don't get breaks remember? If we got breaks I wouldn't be here right now, believe me!" She waited for Prue to say something, but all she heard was the sound of footsteps, and they were heading out of the kitchen. "Prue, get back here!"   
"Uh, Piper, she's leaving," Phoebe said.  
"Prudence, get your little Wiccan butt back in this kitchen!" She still didn't get a response. "All right, that's it! Grounded-forever. Don't expect to leave this house until..."  
Piper heard a door slam. She bit her lip to keep from screaming, then angrily slammed her palm against the wall. It wasn't fair. Somewhere out there was a fire hydrant that was about to get creamed by her sister's new Porsche. And there wasn't a thing Piper could do about it.  
**

**Phoebe waited. She knew that just beyond the door to the basement, Piper was fuming. Phoebe couldn't help but grin. If she hadn't been Piper's favorite before, at least she was now. And her spell had worked too. Ha, take that Prue, she thought to herself.  
Stepping back towards the frozen whitelighter, Phoebe pulled the table cloth off of his head. Poor Leo, he'd missed everything. Boy was he going to be surprised when he unfroze. Phoebe sighed as she stared at him. She didn't remember her sister's freezes ever lasting so long. But then again, they were all getting more powerful.  
Phoebe tossed the tablecloth onto the table, then went and knocked on the basement door. She was starting to feel a little lonely now. She wished Piper would hurry up and find a way to get out.  
"Um, Piper, are you coming out now?"  
"Phoebe, if I could get out then I'd be out already," Piper said. She heard her sister hit the door again. "Can you call a lock smith or something?"  
"A what?" Phoebe couldn't quite place the word.  
"Okay, you know what, just call the club. You should remember the number."  
"But I don't want to."  
"Phoebe, you have to. I don't feel like spending the rest of my day on the stairs."  
Phoebe squirmed a little at the thought of having to call someone. The phone made her nervous. She got all shy whenever she was on it.  
"Why don't you call?" she finally suggested.  
"There's a big solid piece of wood between me and the phone, Pheebs."  
"Well I'll hold it close to the door and-"  
"Just make the call!" Piper was shouting now and Phoebe took a step back. She didn't understand why she was getting so angry.   
"But Piper!" she said. "I hate the phone!"  
"What?" There was genuine surprise in her voice. "Phoebe, you were practically born with a phone glued to your ear! Do you even remember our bills?"  
"No." Phoebe said. She had no clue what her sister was talking about. Prue was the phone hog of the family. Phoebe only answered when no one else would. "Maybe we should wait for Leo. Or wait-maybe I can find something in the Book of Shadows!"  
"No, Phoebe, no more magic," Piper said. But Phoebe ignored her as she ran to the living room. At the very least she could stall. Leo would have to unfreeze soon, and then he could call someone, or maybe even get Piper out on his own. _Yep,_ Phoebe thought, _that'll work_. She could hear Piper hitting the door again and she felt a twinge of guilt. She would hate to be locked in the basement alone. But Piper didn't sound scared. She just sounded mad.   
Phoebe glanced around the mess that had once been their living room. She knew Prue had hidden the book somewhere. But she hadn't mentioned the exact hiding spot to her, probably because she knew Phoebe would go running to Piper with it. _But Piper's nicer,_ Phoebe thought to herself. Of course, Prue had made her a car, and a dog and the duck that was frozen next to Leo.  
"Phoebe?"  
Phoebe whirled around and saw Prue standing there in the hall. Maybe Prue had felt bad about leaving their sister. Or maybe she'd crashed her car on the sidewalk. Phoebe peeked out the window quickly, just to be sure. Prue's Porsche was definitely gone.  
"You wrecked it, didn't you?" she asked, shaking her head at her sister. "Piper's gonna be mad."  
"Where is she?"  
"Basement still," Phoebe said as she tossed a few couch cushions out of her way. Carefully navigating around a crushed vase, she reached under a table. But the only thing she pulled out was the Toto dog they had taken from the gym. She glanced over at Prue. "Where you'd put the Book?"  
"What?"  
"C'mon. I know you took it Prue," Phoebe said, turning to search behind a toppled bookshelf. She waded through the various volumes, pushing them aside as she frowned at her sister. "You always take it. I just want it to help Piper."  
"I'll take care of Piper."  
"Oh right," Phoebe brightened as she picked through a pile of video tapes. "You can just use your powers, huh? I mean you can just-" Phoebe made a large sweeping gesture with her arm, imitating the moves she'd seen Prue use so many times before. "And then we can..." Phoebe trailed off as she finally straightened and looked back at Prue. Her sister was staring at her, a cold expression on her face. Phoebe clutched the stuffed Toto to her chest, a little mystified by her sister's demeanor.  
"Prue, what's wrong?"  
But still Prue said nothing. She just stood there and if Phoebe hadn't known better she would have thought that Piper had frozen her. But then Prue slowly lifted her arm. For some reason the motion scared Phoebe, and she took a small step back, nearly tripping over all the debris. She reached out and grabbed for the couch, trying to keep her balance.  
"Prue?" Her lip trembled a little and Phoebe's eyes started to water. It was weird, but suddenly she was genuinely afraid of her sister. Prue finally smiled as she lifted her arm the rest of the way. But the smile looked somehow evil and Phoebe shivered, suddenly wishing very much that Piper were there.  
"Sweet dreams witch," Prue said. "Sorry you couldn't stay for the party."  
Phoebe saw a flash of light coming from the direction of Prue's outstretched hand. She closed her eyes at the last second so that she never saw exactly what hit her. But she could feel the pain burning within her even as she tried to run away. Phoebe screamed, trying to move her legs, or her arms, or anything at all. But she was completely paralyzed, right up until the moment she collapsed to the ground. **

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**Piper crossed her arms and leaned back against the door. She was just bored now. Anger and fear had long since subsided as she sat on the stairs. Now she felt restless. Any moment though, Leo would unfreeze and get her out of there. He had been their handy man after all. A simple jammed door shouldn't prove to be much of a problem. And if it was he could always orb in and get her. His whitelighter skills could be very useful at times like these.  
"Okay Leo, any day now..." she said, more to herself than to anyone else. "Come on, unfreeze. My sister's probably driven through half the yards in San Francisco already." She sighed, contemplating Prue's destructive tendencies. "I guess we can kiss our car insurance goodbye."  
Piper glanced over at the splintery step she was sitting on, then started doodling in the dust, using her finger as an imaginary pencil. She drew Prue's Porsche and then a fire hydrant and a little stick figure of their vicious neighbor. She had almost finished her masterpiece when she heard Phoebe's scream.  
"Phoebe?" Piper leapt to her feet and grabbed at the doorknob. She tried to turn it, hoping that maybe under the circumstances some magical force would get her out. But the knob didn't even budge. "Phoebe, are you okay?" Still nothing. Either Phoebe didn't hear her or…  
"Piper?"  
It was Prue's voice she heard next. Piper cocked her head to one side, totally confused. Unless her memory was failing her, Prue had been on her way out the door only moments before. At this point though, she could be dancing the mambo and Piper wouldn't care. She just wanted out.   
"What happened to Phoebe?"   
"She was just fooling around," Prue said.  
"Fooling around while screaming?"  
"I don't know," she said. "She's Phoebe. I don't ask."   
"Fair enough," Piper said quickly. Prue had been a big pain so far, but now she was back. And Piper wasn't about to antagonize the one person who could help her escape the basement. "Any chance you brought a crow bar or something?"  
"I can do better than that."  
Piper was about to ask her what she meant, when she heard the distinct sound of straining metal. She took a few steps down as she realized what Prue was doing. Within seconds the hinges were broken and the door fell in, sliding down the stairs at a frightening speed. It barely missed Piper as she jumped to the side, hugging the railing. The door hit the ground then flipped over, landing on the floor with a thud. Piper stared down at it as the dust slowly settled. Swallowing hard, she turned and glanced up at her sister.  
"Nice little power you have there," she mumbled, wondering what would've happened if she hadn't jumped back.  
"Well, I try."  
Piper nodded, her eyes widening as she took one last look at the door. There was a large crack through the its middle, and even in the darkened basement, Piper thought she saw scorch marks on the wood.   
"What the hell did you do to it?"  
Prue just shrugged, watching her in utter fascination. Prue was forming some plan in her mind, she could already tell. Piper slowly started up the stairs, trying to ignore the creepy vibe she was getting. Maybe she'd made Prue a little angrier than she'd meant to. If she could take out a door, Piper could only guess what she could do to a human. But that was silly. Prue would never hurt her, at least not the Prue that she knew and loved.  
"Interesting day, huh?" Piper said as she reached the top step. She gently pushed past her sister and moved into the kitchen. There was a crunching sound as she stepped on broken dishes and smashed boxes of food.  
"It's about to get more interesting," Prue replied.  
"Oh no...Don't even say that," Piper turned on her. "We are going to have a nice calm rest of the day even if it kills you."   
"What?"  
"I meant me," Piper corrected herself. "I really, really did."  
"Piper?" Leo suddenly came out of his freeze. His eyes widened as the duck flapped over his head, landing on the kitchen counter. Piper could only imagine what he was thinking. One minute a nice normal house, then he blinks and the kitchen looks like the set of some cheesy horror movie. "What happened?"  
"Oh, and now you come back." Piper threw up her hands. "I could've used you two minutes ago."  
"Hey, you froze me," he protested as he stood.  
"And I'll think twice before doing it again, believe me!" Piper brushed the dust off of her clothing, trying not to touch the many bruises on her body. Now that she allowed herself to think about it, she realized that she ached just about everywhere.  
Ever so carefully she rolled up one of her sleeves and saw a huge purple mark on her elbow. She was pretty sure she had a matching one on the other arm. She winced as she let her hand drop to her side   
"Demon?" Leo asked.   
"Try a ghost and a nice shove down the stairs," Piper answered. "It'll get you every time."  
"Are you okay?"   
"I will be," she mumbled, then realized that his attention was elsewhere. He was getting called away again. Piper glanced over at Prue, and was relieved to find that she was still in the room. It was getting harder and harder to keep track of her sister. But Prue was just standing there, quietly taking in their conversation.  
"I gotta go," Leo said finally. "They say it's pretty important. I think it's about our demon."  
"Well, in that case, leave." She waved him off. "Go, learn and if you could come back with some good news or maybe even a spell for these two-" she nodded ever so subtly at Prue, lowering her voice. "I would very much appreciate it."   
"I'll see what I can do." He leaned over to kiss her, but as he put his arms around her Piper grimaced and pulled away. "Oh, sorry," he said. "Maybe you should get some ice or something."  
"There's not enough ice in the city," Piper replied.  
Leo smiled a little, but she could tell he was worried. If she had asked him to stay, she knew that he would have. But she'd been a lot worse off than this. A few minutes rest on the couch, or what was left of the couch, and she knew she'd be fine. Besides, bruises were the least of her problems.  
Piper waved as Leo finally disappeared, then she sighed, surveying the kitchen. The damage wasn't too extensive, but they were definitely going to need some new dishes. Thankfully though, the table and chairs had survived the onslaught. Piper put her hands on her hips, then turned back to Prue, who was still standing by the doorway, staring at her.  
"Where's Phoebe?" Piper asked, heading towards the dining room. But Prue stepped in front of her, a smile spreading across her face. "What are you doing?"  
"I have a surprise for you, Piper."  
"Well unless it's a supernatural babysitter, thanks but no thanks." Piper tried to get around her again, but this time Prue grabbed her by the forearms and shoved her back.  
Piper yelled as she stumbled, then fell backwards into the mess. She kicked at the broken chair that had tripped her, then stared up at Prue, the shock registering on her face. Prue hadn't won any congeniality awards lately, but she hadn't deliberately hurt anyone either. Phoebe's trip to the hospital had been an accident. But what Prue had done just then certainly hadn't been.  
"Prue, what's wrong with you?" Piper said, as she slowly got to her feet. Maybe it's the spell, she thought. It has to be.   
"What's the matter, Piper?" Prue said, stepping towards her. "I'm not going to hurt you." Piper could tell she was lying though. Something was terribly wrong with her sister. "This is gonna be fun."  
"Fun?" Piper was trapped. There was no place to go. The island was behind her and Prue was inching closer, blocking off her escape routes. Her only hope was to talk some sense back into her sister. "I'm not seeing the fun here."  
"Well, maybe you're not looking hard enough." Prue smiled at her and Piper felt sick to her stomach. This wasn't good. Whatever had happened to Prue had sent her way over to the evil side of the spectrum. And now there was no telling what she might do.  
"Prue, listen to me," Piper said. "You're under a spell. I know it sounds weird, but you have to trust me here."   
"Why wouldn't I trust you, Piper?" Prue's smile only got bigger as she took a step closer. Piper moved around the island, but her sister followed her.  
"Prue, what are you doing? You're not-"  
"Shh!" Prue said, bringing her finger up to her lips. "It's about to begin."  
Suddenly, the back door to the kitchen flew open. Piper whirled around as a man ran in. Leaping over the debris, he rushed at her, even as she tried to freeze him. She waited for him to halt in his tracks, but he didn't and in a moment he had grabbed her roughly, pulling her arms behind her back. Piper screamed, struggling to get away as she felt a rope being wound around her wrists. It tightened as the man pulled it into a knot.  
"Phoebe!" she shouted as she lost her balance and fell back to the ground. The man leaned over pinning her to the floor with one knee. Piper tried desperately to move, but he was too heavy. She stared up at Prue, her heart still racing as she tried to understand what her sister was doing "Prue do something!" But Prue just smiled down at her, a cold smile that terrified Piper. "Phoebe!" she screamed again. "Phoebe, help me!"  
As Piper watched, Prue turned and went over to the drawers by the phone. She opened one of them, searched through it a moment, then pulled out a role of duct tape.  
"Perfect." Prue glanced over at the man. "I guess that's fate for you." She tore a piece off and knelt down next to Piper.  
"No!" she yelled. "Leo!" He had to be around somewhere. He was always there when they needed him. Why was today the day he couldn't hear her? "Leo!"  
That was the last thing she got out before Prue pressed the tape against her mouth. Piper glanced up at her in desperation. Nothing made sense. Where was Phoebe? And what had happened to Prue?  
"Sorry sis," Prue said as the man hauled Piper to her feet. "Time to go now. Don't want to be late for the party." Suddenly, something came down over Piper's face, and the world went dark.  
"This would've been easier if you'd just used your powers." Piper heard the man say as her feet were pulled out from under her. Piper could feel herself being carried out of the house, but there was nothing she could do.   
"Yeah," she heard Prue say finally. "But it wouldn't have been nearly as fun." **


	42. Chapter 41

**"Oh, oh no..." Prue muttered to herself as she felt the car hit something. She gritted her teeth and shifted into reverse. _I do know how to drive,_ she reminded herself. But she wasn't doing a very good job of proving her assertion. Finally, she shifted back into drive and pulled into an empty parking space, far, far away from any other cars. She turned off the ignition then leaned back in her seat, smiling to herself. _Ha,_ she thought, _I did it. Perfect parking job. So there, Piper!  
_ "Prue!"  
She jumped as someone banged on her window. It was her boss, big surprise. Prue motioned for him to step back, then grabbed her purse and opened the door. He was already babbling before her feet hit the ground. Something about a job, and some photos that were due, Prue really wasn't listening. She knew that she probably should've been. But her mind had long since left the parking lot. In fact it was all the way back at the manor.  
Oh no, not Piper again, she thought to herself. But there was her guilty conscience, reminding her that leaving her sister locked in a basement hadn't been such a good thing to do. And poor Phoebe, she was probably all freaked out as she had a way of being.  
"Are you listening to me?" Mr. Corso asked.  
"Oh, yeah." Prue nodded. "You wanted those pictures, right? Here you go." She handed over an envelope. He opened it quickly and flipped through the photos. Then he glanced up at her.   
"Pictures of a cat?"   
"My cat actually," Prue said distractedly. She spotted one of her co-workers and waved at the woman as she got into her car. Then she eyed Mr. Corso. "And she's a lot more interesting than that funky looking theater building."  
"That funky looking theater building was your assignment."  
"And it was a boring one," Prue said. "People like cats, not stages and curtains." She grinned suddenly and gestured at her Porsche. "Hey, did you see my new car?"   
But Mr. Corso didn't seem to be paying any attention to her. He was suddenly focused on the young woman in the car. He watched as she backed up, then turned and drove down the ramp to the lower level where the exit was.  
Prue crossed her arms and waited for him to return to her planet. She'd always kind of suspected that he had a crush on the woman, but this was a little too much. And after his big speech to hurry her over here, she certainly didn't appreciate being ignored.  
"Mr. Corso?" she said, trying to be somewhat polite. But now he was glancing back at the door that led to the building. This was beginning to annoy her and Prue grabbed the photos back from him, trying to regain his attention. "I thought we had a shoot or something."  
"Not quite," he said, his eyes still trained on the door.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Prue could feel her anger growing. Tolerance hadn't been her strong suit lately, and she wasn't about to take being jerked around like this. What was with everyone lately? They were all acting like she was crazy or something, but it wasn't like anyone else was doing all that well in the normalcy department. "Why did you want me here then?"  
"Just wanted to say hi, Prue."  
Prue cocked her head to one side, totally confused. This guy certainly didn't belong in the work place. He'd have better luck at the SF loony bin. She started to turn and grab her door handle. She wasn't going to stick around for this.  
"Okay, well hi there," she said. "I'll just be going now."  
"Don't go yet." He smiled at her. But she was no longer looking at his face. Instead she was watching his hand. He slowly balled his fingers into a fist then pulled his arm back. For a minute, she thought he might be throwing an invisible baseball, but then instead of a baseball, a fireball flew from his fingers.  
Prue leapt back as it hit the door, transforming the handle into a large metal lump. Prue's eyes widened as she looked from the mangled handle back to him.  
"We're just starting to have a little fun here."  
"Mr. Corso." Prue swallowed as she tried to move around to the passenger door, putting the car between her and the psycho. The car had locked automatically and she fumbled around for her keys, hoping he wouldn't notice. "You, um, you shouldn't be able to do that."  
"Yeah well." He held up his hand as if to admire it. "It comes with the territory."  
"Uh…sure." Prue said with a nod, trying to act normal. Maybe she'd been seeing things. It had been a weird couple of days and last she'd checked her boss hadn't had fiery fingertips. Prue finally got the right key in the lock but he had already stepped over beside her. "I'll see you tomorrow."  
"Not if you're dead by then."  
Prue tried to throw the car door open, but he slammed it shut. She stared at the hand on her door and watched in horror as the human skin transformed into the scaly flesh of the demon she had seen the previous night. A million things ran through Prue's brain at the moment, including the giant "I told you so" she was going to get from Piper if she ever made it home. Prue knew she should have been scared, terrified even, but she was too surprised to be either. Finally, she cleared her mind enough to come up with a plan and that was to run -fast. Prue ducked under the demon's other arm and took off through the parking lot.  
"Where are you going to go Prue?" He yelled after her, his voice scratchy, evil. That was definitely not Mr. Corso back there.   
Prue headed for the stairwell on the opposite wall but the car in front of her caught fire, flames erupting as its windshield shattered. Then the car next to it exploded and the car after that.  
Prue leapt back, holding up her hands, trying to block her face from the heat. She took a few steps to one side and attempted to get around the long line of vehicles. But the fire was intense. There was no way she was getting to those stairs.  
Prue whirled around, trying to decide if she could run down the ramp to the lower floor. It was all the way on the other side of the parking garage though and the demon stood directly in front of it.   
"Prue, what are you doing?" he asked, his reddish eyes reflecting the flames. He was even bigger than she had remembered. As she glanced back at him, she saw him pull out a dagger. The blade gleamed in the firelight, and Prue realized how easily it would slice through her body. She shivered at the thought. Now she was scared, there was no doubting that. She wished more than anything that she'd stayed home with her sisters, where they could protect each other.  
_Sorry guys,_ she thought to herself. And she really did feel bad, because she knew just how upset Piper and Phoebe would be when they found out some freaky demon had gutted her at work. Of course, how they felt was going to be the least of her problems because she'd be the gutted one. All right, thinking now... There had to be some way out of this.  
"What do you want?" she said finally, proud of herself for sounding so calm. She could handle this all by herself. She had to handle it all by herself. There weren't any choices here.  
"You're in our way," the demon growled as he advanced towards her. "You were going to crash our party."  
"Not really the crashing type." Prue motioned towards him, hoping that her power would work. But it didn't.  
"It was only a matter of time."  
Another fireball shot out at her and she deflected it easily. Her foray into flame throwing the previous evening popped back into her mind, and Prue tried to concentrate, to feel that same energy she had harnessed before. But everything had been different then. Piper and Phoebe had been behind her and they had needed her as much as she'd needed them. Now she was completely alone.  
"Can't do it by yourself can you?" the demon said. "Poor little Prue. She talks big but when it comes to the important stuff she runs scared just like everyone else, just like that baby sister... what was her name?" He held up the dagger as the smile spread across his face. Prue shuddered as he got even closer. "Oh right, Phoebe."  
Suddenly, she felt that energy again. Mr. Demon Guy had just made one huge mistake. She threw one hand out and the flames licking the car behind her shot out over her head, flying straight at him. But this time he was ready. He leapt out of the way as the van behind him burst into flames.  
"Did I hit a nerve?" he asked. He was only ten feet away now, and with one final lunge he was standing before her. He grabbed her by the arm, pulling the knife up under her neck. "And I haven't even mentioned Piper," he whispered in her ear.  
Prue didn't need her power. A wave of anger washed over her and with it came a new burst of strength. She shoved the blade away and stuck her knee right into his scaly stomach. He doubled over, dropping the dagger.   
"You hurt them, you pay."   
"Little witch," he managed to say. "You don't know what you're doing. You can't stop us, not all alone."  
"I am not alone," Prue said as she quickly moved past him. She picked up the dagger and hurried back to her car. She coughed as smoke filled the garage, nearly blocking the demon from sight. But above the sound of the approaching sirens, she could still hear him growl.  
"That's where you're wrong!"  
Prue slowed to a stop and turned around as she heard footsteps approaching. As the smoke finally parted, the demon emerged. She froze, trying to decide what to do next. She had the dagger, she had the strength, but something in his voice... it scared her more than she cared to admit.  
"They're gone Prue." He smiled as he moved towards her. She didn't even bother to step back. "Piper and Phoebe...and now you."  
She stood there and watched him, reading the truth that was there in his eyes. He was going to kill her and maybe her sisters. Piper and Phoebe... she had to protect them. She was the oldest. It was her duty.  
The demon's eyes fell upon her as she stood there, the dagger clenched in her fist.  
"You think you can kill me now?" he asked. "Your sister killed that witch, maybe you think you can vanquish me too?" His smile turned into a grin as she held up the dagger, then hesitated. She could do it, she had to. She took a deep breath, but dropped the dagger down to her side. "I didn't think so," he said. "That's it Prue. Game over."  
Prue watched as he laughed, so sure that he had her beat. But it wasn't that easy. With one quick gesture, Prue lifted her other arm towards the fiery cars. For a moment nothing happened, but then suddenly the flames seemed to answer her call, leaping through the air to engulf the demon. An agonized scream filled the garage and Prue watched in detached fascination as he slowly disappeared into the smoke. There was a price to pay for underestimating her.  
Prue glanced down at the dagger, then back to where the demon had stood just moments before.  
"Game over."  
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**Prue could hear her tires squealing as she finally spotted the house through the storm. She slammed on the brakes and spun the wheel around, making a U turn straight through the puddles. The car slid for a moment, then skidded to a halt as the front wheel hit the curb. But Prue hardly cared about the car anymore. If Piper yelled at her, she could deal.  
Prue tore off her seat belt and opened her door, trying to shield herself from the pounding rain. But as she ran up the walkway to the house she lost the battle, and her clothes were soaked by the time she got through the door. Thunder clamored overhead as she brushed the wet hair out of her eyes.  
"Phoebe!" Prue yelled as she rushed towards the stairs. But there was no answer. Everything was eerily quiet as Prue whirled around. She stood there completely still, trying to decide which room to check first. Finally she turned back towards the stairs, shouting for her sister once more. Still she got nothing.  
"Oh come on," she muttered. "I know you wouldn't leave Pheebs, not without..." Prue suddenly remembered where she'd left her other sister. With all the demon madness she'd nearly forgotten about Piper. "Where are you guys?"  
Prue ran into the kitchen, sliding to a halt in front of an overturned chair. She glanced down at the ground, carefully stepping around the blender and coffee pot.  
"Piper! C'mon, I'm sorry about before but we have big-" Prue stopped short as she saw the entrance to the basement. There was a large dark opening where the door had once been.  
"Piper!" Prue rushed through the doorway and down a few steps, flicking the light switch on. Down at the bottom of the stairs was a big piece of wood with scrape marks across it. It was definitely the door, but it had obviously taken quite the beating before landing in its final resting place. And worse yet, there was no sister nearby.  
"Piper!"   
Prue spun around and headed towards the kitchen. Leo was gone and the house felt horribly empty. Maybe they went to look for me, Prue thought. Piper would've been mad, she would've come after me. But still, something had set off the alarms in her mind. Prue knew that nervous feeling. It had come more often as their enemies became stronger and their visits more frequent.  
_Nothing's wrong,_ Prue told herself, trying to keep her panic at bay. But the deserted house was scaring her more than the demon she'd fought.  
"Phoebe!" Prue could hear the desperation in her own voice as she hurried back through the dining room. The lights were starting to flicker in the storm and the lightning was making all kinds of shadows dance on the walls.  
"Phoebe! Piper! C'mon, this isn't funny!" Prue threw open the closet door, half expecting to find her sisters behind it. Maybe they were hiding from her, to get her back. "I'm sorry about before, but there was this demon. He was gonna kill me. He wanted to kill you too, but I stopped him. Piper, do you hear me?" Prue was starting to get angry now. It wasn't fair for them to play tricks on her. "I killed him all by myself!"  
But still, there was no response. If they were there, they were certainly doing a good job of hiding. Prue swallowed as the lights flickered once more. It would be dark outside soon and she certainly didn't want to be alone then. More demons could be on their way and she wasn't sure she could hold them off this time.  
"Piper, I'm sorry, okay? I won't leave anymore." Prue looked up the stairs again, hoping that she would see Piper there peering down at her. When she didn't, Prue collapsed onto the bottom step and rested her arms on her knees. She hated them for leaving her. Stupid Piper, she'd just gone off and abandoned her. And Phoebe of course had followed right along.  
Prue dropped her head into her hands and took a deep breath. She tried to block out the sound of the thunder, but it echoed through her brain. Her unease was quickly escalating into full blown terror and tears sprang to her eyes as she sat there, completely alone. _Stop it, Prue_, she scolded herself. _You're too big to be scared of a storm!_  
Wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve, Prue lifted her head and glanced around. If the lights were going to go out soon, she'd need a flashlight. She stood slowly, pulling herself up on the banister. She'd left one in a desk drawer after the last storm, she was almost sure of it. Hastily, she made her way into the living room, glancing through the mess to where the desk should have been. But it wasn't there. And as her eyes surveyed the rest of the room, she was met with a horrible sight. There in the midst of everything, lay Phoebe.  
"Oh my god..." Prue stood there, her feet glued to the floor. And it was as if she were back in the theater that night, searching desperately for her sisters, only to find Phoebe's crumpled form on the stage. That was the night the ghost had come into their lives. It was happening again.  
The thunder crashed overhead and Prue scrunched her eyes shut, knowing that the lightning wouldn't be far behind. But all she could see was Phoebe, laying on the stage, and then Piper sitting out against that wall crying, her tears mixing in with the rain.  
"Phoebe!" Prue stumbled forward. She kneeled next to her sister, shaking her lightly. But Phoebe didn't move. She didn't even blink. Prue shook her more forcefully, rocking her from side to side. "Phoebe!" she cried. "Wake up, Phoebe. We've got to find Piper. She needs us Phoebe, remember? You were going to save her!"  
Phoebe remained motionless on the floor and Prue leaned over her, the tears finally spilling down onto her cheeks. She wiped her face angrily, wishing that she could be stronger. She was always the strong one. And she needed that strength, now more than ever.  
"Phoebe, get up now!" she yelled. It was no use though. Phoebe couldn't hear her. Her skin was cool to the touch and Prue grabbed a nearby blanket from the couch, throwing it over her sister. Then she reluctantly reached over and felt for her pulse. She checked again and again. But each time she got the same result.  
Prue looked down at Phoebe, then stood and slowly backed away. She hadn't been there. The words were there, echoing in her head. _You left...you left them._ Prue put her hands up to her ears, trying to block out the sound.  
"I can't hear you!" she screamed, but her own voice wouldn't stop. It only got louder, angrier, as it repeated the accusation.  
Prue took another step back, then hit the wall. She slid down to the floor, her hands still covering her ears. But there it was. _You killed your sister..._ Prue could hear it. She shook her head, but she knew it was true. Prue sobbed, pressing her face into her knees. She had killed Phoebe.**

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**"Carson's gone!" Edward yelled, his voice filled with rage. He grabbed his dagger and flung it through the air. Flynt shrunk back as it missed him by the smallest of margins. His father growled and Flynt watched as he returned to his demonic form. "I told him not to be stupid, not to underestimate them."  
"She killed him?"  
"He wasn't prepared," his father said. "He was cocky. She was the oldest, the strongest. I told him that!"  
"How do you know he's gone?" Flynt demanded. His father had a way of overreacting and nothing angered him more than failure, especially at a time as crucial as this.  
"I can feel it!" Edward shouted, turning his hellish red eyes on his son. He paced around the backstage area, smashing anything in his path. Flynt watched as one of the plywood trees was blown into bits by a fireball. "Can't you sense it? Our power is lessening. Once there were thousands of us. Now there are two!"   
"We're going to change that," Flynt reminded him. "If Danny proves to be…"  
"He will!" Edward said. "He will prove to be everything the prophecy stated. And he will avenge Carson's death."   
Edward grew silent for a moment and Flynt held his breath. It was when his father was calm, that he knew he should fear him. But this time his fury wasn't directed at Flynt. Instead Edward pulled the curtain aside. Flynt could just barely see Piper, sitting there in the darkness. A smile crept across Edward's face.  
"And his vengeance will start with her." **


	43. Chapter 42

**"Hello?" Phoebe crossed her arms and looked up at the ceiling, feeling utterly lost. Wasn't something supposed to be happening? She was expecting white lights, harp music, maybe even some deep voice giving her instructions. But there was nothing, just the same old house. Toys were strewn around and Phoebe suddenly remembered her earlier persona. Phoebe the kid had been fun enough for her, but she wasn't sure if the rest of the household had enjoyed it. Poor Piper... Phoebe was definitely going to make it up to her, if she ever got the chance. She sighed and glanced upward again.  
"Come on guys!" she said. "Witch seeking a little info down here!"  
All she heard was Prue, still crying in the corner. Phoebe had already tried talking to her, but she might as well have been invisible. Actually, Phoebe was going to stick to that theory. She was pretty sure that she was invisible at this point.  
"Do we have a nice spirit up there maybe?" She was still waiting for the ceiling to dissolve into some brilliant setting with clouds or flying people. But it was still the ceiling. The only change she could see was the burn mark from the previous nights' tango with the fire demon. "Any whitelighters around? Anyone can weigh in here. Just want to know what I'm supposed to do now."  
"Phoebe," a voice said from behind her.  
Phoebe whirled around and found herself face to face with Faith Evans, the ghost she had vanquished only an hour before.  
"I knew you'd end up here."  
_Oh, this is bad, _Phoebe thought. Not only did it signal her own affiliation with the ghost world, thereby proving her imminent death, but it also put her with a woman who had every right to be seriously bitter at her. Phoebe smiled nervously, wondering if she had any way to defend herself in her current condition.  
"You must be pretty mad..." She stepped back towards Prue, trying to get away from the ghost. "I mean that whole vanquishing thing that was just a-a...hmm." Phoebe pressed her lips together, still trying to smile. She certainly hadn't been prepared for Faith's arrival, although she knew that she should have been. She held up her arm, trying to laugh. "I'd give you a pound of flesh, but it doesn't seem that I have any right now."   
Faith wasn't smiling at her little joke. That couldn't be a good thing. Stuck for eternity in Halliwell manor with a ghost who had a serious ax to grind. And here she had thought that heaven or at least some place slightly more appealing would be her final destination. She hadn't been real clear on that whole religion thing, but she'd always liked the ending with the angels and harps. When Piper had died she'd gotten the great white light. Of course that had just been Leo coming to save her. Now where was their whitelighter when she needed him?  
"Why didn't you listen to me?" Faith suddenly demanded. "I tried to tell you, you should have listened!"  
"Excuse me?" Phoebe wasn't sure what else she should say. That hadn't exactly been a great conversation starter. "What exactly was I supposed to be listening to?"  
"Never mind." Faith shook her head, crossing her arms abruptly. She didn't look happy, but at the same time she didn't look murderous either. Of course, since Phoebe had already been pretty much murdered, she didn't know what she was so worried about.  
"Do you know what happened to you?" Faith finally asked.   
"Well I, uh, sort of remember being a, um..." Phoebe stopped as her feelings of embarrassment lingered.  
"A kid."   
"Yeah, there was that." Phoebe nodded, still searching for a way to escape Faith. But everything was so new to her. It was taking time to adjust. Count on her to die just when a vicious ghost was stalking them. _A vicious ghost that I got rid of,_ Phoebe reminded herself. She still wasn't clear on how Faith had returned. She sighed, deciding just to take the direct route. "And by the way, why are you here? I know that wasn't one of my best spells but it really should've worked."   
"It did work." Faith gave her a tight smile. "To a point. I can't go into your kitchen. Piper's precious dishes are finally safe."  
"You can't go into our kitchen." Phoebe stared at her for a moment, narrowing her eyes. "I vanquished you from our kitchen?"   
"Yep," Faith said. "I can't go in there anymore to, you know-"  
"Destroy the furniture, conjure up a little mayhem, try and kill us and generally wreck all our lives in the meantime?"  
"Oh you want to talk about wrecking lives now?" Faith glared at her. "Look who wrecked mine. And FYI, I wasn't trying to kill you."  
"Oh really?" Phoebe crossed her arms. "Cause that's not what it looked like from the land of the living."  
"You still don't get it, do you?"  
"What's there to get?" Phoebe asked. She glanced around the house, wondering if the ghost still needed a reminder of what she had done. If Faith wanted to hold grudges that was fine. But Phoebe was entitled to do the same. "My sister killed you, on accident by the way. And now you're pissed and trying to kill us, which you seem to have done."  
"I didn't kill you."  
"Yeah, I know. She did." Phoebe nodded over towards Prue. "And I will figure out how you did that. Eternity gives me a long time to think."  
"Phoebe, why would I lock Piper in the basement if I was trying to kill her?" Faith asked, the frustration evident in her voice. Phoebe hadn't even thought about Piper. She'd had other, seemingly more important things on her mind. "Come on, I'm a better ghost than that. If I had wanted you dead, you would've been dead long ago. It's not like I didn't think about it."  
"And there's a comforting thought," Phoebe mumbled, before looking back at her.  
"What do you think happened to you? I certainly can't transform myself into Prue and use some weird power I've never had. You know for the Charmed Ones, you're not really that quick."  
"Hey, hold on a second!" Phoebe took offense to that. "I don't see you making with the explanations."  
"It was a demon that could glamour, Phoebe," Faith said with an irritated sigh. "It's always a demon. You should know that."  
"So you didn't posses Prue?" Phoebe felt the disappointment flood over her. "We don't get cool powers in the beyond?"  
"Sometimes you can use your own power." Faith shrugged. "If your will remains strong enough."  
"Your will being kicking our-"  
"No," Faith interrupted, ignoring the look Phoebe shot her direction. "Maybe four months ago, but now I'm over it."   
"I can tell," Phoebe muttered under her breath. Faith scowled at her, but Phoebe plastered on her most innocent expression. "So, no other cool powers?"   
"Not unless you count walking through walls."  
"Well then, I'm sending a memo to someone up there." Phoebe squinted up at the ceiling. "Because if I'm going to have to watch my sisters live on without me I should get something good out of the deal."  
"Your sisters aren't going to live at all if you don't listen to me!" Faith insisted.  
Phoebe turned to her, raising her eyebrows. The evil, ghost lady sounded serious. And strangely enough she didn't sound too happy about her sisters not living. Phoebe stared at her for a long time, wondering if she was supposed to trust her. This was, after all the ghost who had been in her premonitions, the premonitions of Piper dying. Phoebe bit her lip. _Uh-oh._  
"You're not the one after Piper?"  
Faith just stared at her, an annoyed expression on her face. Phoebe was sick of it. If she was doomed to spend the rest of existence having it out with a ghost, she at least wanted the full story. There had to be some benefits to the death thing.  
"Okay, how can you not be the one after Piper?" she asked. "You've been haunting her and me all week long!"  
"I'm your supernatural warning system," Faith explained. Phoebe didn't say anything. She just stood there waiting for more. Finally, Faith sighed and took a few steps towards the couch. "I may not like what you did to me, the fact that I died because of your screw up, but there's a greater good at stake here. And right now, you and your sisters are that greater good."  
"Wait, rewind." Phoebe glanced over at Prue, then back to Faith. "What do you mean warning system?"  
"That demon last night, I knew it would come. But I couldn't break through, I couldn't tell you," Faith said, eyeing the ceiling. "Someone up there wouldn't let me come back, not completely, not like other ghosts can."  
"Yeah, we know how they can be." Phoebe could sympathize. "The whole everything happens for a reason routine."  
"They must have wanted it this way." Faith certainly didn't look happy about it. "And I did try. I mean my tactics might have been strange, but you guys could've caught on a little bit faster."  
"A tornado at the play doesn't really signal fire throwing demons, I'm sorry," Phoebe said sarcastically. She and her sisters weren't exactly mind readers. They needed more to go on than that.  
"The tornado at the play wasn't me. That was my son."   
"Danny?"  
"He has powers too." Phoebe saw the pride on Faith's face. _Oh, this is getting strange,_ she thought. And that was saying a lot, considering all she had seen in her life.  
"Danny just hasn't learned to control his powers yet," Faith explained. Then she smiled. "The tornado in the kitchen, that was me. But at least it got Piper into the basement."   
"All right, too many people with powers." Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Confusion ensuing."   
"Haven't even mentioned the demons yet," Faith said. "You should have listened."   
"A little note of explanation might have been helpful. I don't see dishes flying and think of my sister being chased by a demon."  
"There was no other way. At least it kept you on your toes."   
"Tell that to Piper."   
"What are you thinking?" Faith snapped, glaring at her. "This is so much bigger than just you or your sister! There's so much more at stake. Your family, mine, this entire city... These demons are incredibly powerful... or at least they will be after tonight."  
"Once again, something that would have been nice on a post-it."   
"What did you want me to do?" she asked. Phoebe could hear the anger creeping into her voice. Before Faith had seemed irritated, now she was mad. "Piper killed me! Was I supposed to leave a nice, flowery piece of stationary? That's not how this works."  
"So instead you destroy things?"  
"My emotions, my anger is what let me come back here, because my will was that strong. That's what got me as far as I did," she explained. "I wasn't supposed to interfere but I want those demons dead. I know somewhere deep down, that this wasn't your fault, or even Piper's. But that doesn't fix it, Phoebe."  
"And so you destroy things..." Phoebe repeated.  
"Yes, fine, I destroy things," Faith admitted. "But I was there when I had to be. I did my best to protect Piper, the person who killed me."  
"On accident," Phoebe reminded her. "…because you were trying to kill us."  
"I thought you were demons," Faith said finally. For a moment the anger slipped away and she glanced down at the ground. "It was a mistake."  
"One Piper's never forgiven herself for," Phoebe told her. "And then you come back and terrify her and nearly tear down our house and her club, supposedly warning us about some stupid demon?"  
"You try dying for no reason and see what kind of message you send," Faith mumbled. Her voice was low and quiet and Phoebe could hear the sadness in it. Finally, the ghost stepped towards her. Phoebe resisted the urge to move back. "Look, maybe I should have tried something else. But I set off the alarm bells every time those demons came. I made you alert when you needed to be. And that was all I could do."  
"Well, I'm sorry we didn't get the message."  
Faith nodded with a sigh. It seemed like she was steeling herself for some great task. After a moment she looked up at Phoebe.  
"I'm sorry I didn't send a better one," she said. "I let my anger interfere. I was wrong."  
"I guess we both were," Phoebe sighed. She couldn't believe this had happened. How was it that the bad guys had gotten away with everything while the good guys had been hurting each other? Fate sure had a screwy way of doing things.  
"They'll come back for Piper," Faith broke the silence that had fallen over the manor. "I know that she's trying to do the right thing here, we can't let them get her."  
"Well, obviously."  
"I'm sorry I scared her-and you."  
"Really?" Phoebe squinted at her, a little bit skeptical.   
"I learned to forgive her, or maybe not even her..." Faith's voice trailed off. "It wasn't her fault. Maybe it really was meant to be."  
"The Wiccan consolation prize."  
And now there's only one of you left to stop the demons." Faith glanced over at Prue, biting her lip. "I'm not feeling too confident here."  
"Give her a few minutes," Phoebe gestured at her sister. "I did die. A little bit of mourning might be order."  
"I should have been able to save you."  
"Not to worry, death isn't necessarily permanent in this family." She saw Faith's disbelieving expression. Phoebe frowned as she turned away. "Just give me my optimism for a few minutes, okay?"  
Faith nodded as Phoebe wandered around the room, trying to avoid looking at Prue. Her sister was so upset, and there was nothing she could do about it. Phoebe would find a way out of this though. All of the Halliwell sisters had died at one point or another. And she certainly wasn't going to be the first one to stay dead, at least not quite yet.  
"Why can't Prue see me?" Phoebe asked, wishing that she could comfort her sister. If she could just wave or something, then maybe Prue would know that she was all right, probably dead, but still okay.  
"She just needs time to adjust herself. It isn't easy."  
"Hey, I'm pretty much transparent and I've adjusted." Phoebe moved her hand and watched in awe as it disappeared in the wall. It was a strange feeling, sort of like having her fingers fall asleep. At last, Phoebe stuck her head through, and then her shoulders. Half of her was now in the hallway. She glanced around, then pulled herself back into the other room. "That could be so useful."  
"Okay, so that was the orientation. And let me just say welcome to being a ghost," Faith said in a hurried tone. "But now we have to help Piper. Those demons are going to kill her and my son won't be too far behind."  
"Wait, Danny?" Phoebe was once again lost. It was too hard trying to get used to her new abilities, while contemplating her own death, and following along with Faith. "What do they want with Danny?"  
"Piper first," Faith said. "Then we'll worry about him. They need your sister before they can do anything else."   
"Uh, she's locked in the basement." Phoebe started towards the kitchen. "So unless they can break through solid wood, which actually they probably can, then..." She trailed off as she saw the gaping hole where the door should have been. Phoebe bit her lip and turned back to Faith, who stood out in the dining room. "This-this is bad isn't it?"   
"They must have taken her right after they got to you." Faith muttered. Phoebe could hear her concern and frustration. "I didn't see. I was watching you, waiting- I didn't see." She eyed Phoebe. "You didn't hear anything either?"  
"I was busy being dead."  
"Right, sorry."  
"Where would they take her?" Phoebe demanded. Now she was starting to worry. She was far too cheerful about her own death, she already knew. But she blamed denial for that. The thought of Piper joining her in the near future though, that scared her beyond anything else. "More importantly, why would they take her? Why not kill her? They certainly did a good job on me!"  
"The ritual," Faith said. "They need her for later."   
"And all this time you were just trying to warn us? Her dreams, you showing up when the demons did..." Phoebe suddenly realized what she was saying. "Oh, duh. You always came right before them. Right Pheebs, let's embrace the stupidity."  
"Like you said, I could've been more direct."  
"Okay, but why the club? Piper told us it was an earthquake but I know it was you," Phoebe said. "And I saw you so many other times, you were at the gym that day, and in the house..."   
"When Edward came," Faith explained, "or Flynt, or Carson, they were coming to the play and to the club and to your door. I just couldn't find a way to tell you."  
"They're the demons?" Phoebe's mouth dropped open. All this time she had been working with them. They'd been helping her with the set. They were Danny's family. "But in my premonition you were there. She was dying and you were there and-"  
"Was I killing her?"  
"Not necessarily." Phoebe knew her face would be turning red, if she still had any blood left to make it that way. They had gotten everything wrong. They'd been fighting their ally. And she herself had been the one to vanquish Faith right when they had needed her most. Phoebe clasped her hands together as she glanced at the ghost. "All right, we'll just gloss right over that now, shall we? I'm guessing that we need to get Prue back. Mourning me is nice and all-"  
"But we don't need her mourning Piper too."  
"Exactly." Phoebe took a short cut back to her sister, right through the wall. She smiled a little at the tingly feeling that rushed through her. At least she could still feel some things. But she knew that she'd never be able to eat or sleep again, like a normal person would. Death was slowly sinking in now, and she tried to push her sadness away. It hurt though, the thought of never hugging her sisters again. She wanted so badly to be able to help them. And now she realized the sadness and frustration Faith must have felt all those months, not being able to help them, or even her own son. No wonder her messages had always been volatile.  
"Prue," Phoebe said, leaning over her sister. She tried to reach out and touch her, to brush the wet hair out of Prue's eyes. But as she did, her fingers went right through her head. Phoebe pulled back immediately, startled as she looked once more at her hands. She'd expected them to go through walls and things, but the fact that they could go through people still creeped her out. As she knelt down next to her sister, she was careful not to get too close. "Prue, honey, can you hear me? Come on Prue, I'm right here."   
"She's still too focused on your death," Faith said from behind her. "She can't hear you."  
"She has to!" Phoebe said, refusing to take her eyes off her sister. She desperately tried to remember how much time had gone by, how long ago Piper had been taken. The demons had quite the head start on them, and Prue was the only one who could do much about it. Phoebe glanced over at her body, wishing that she could just jump right back into it. This wasn't fair. "How can I get back? I need to help them!"   
"There's no way to return," Faith said. "Don't you think I've tried? I wasn't supposed to die! I was a good witch. If anyone should have been able to go back…"   
"Wait." Phoebe held up both hands to get her to stop. Faith fell silent as Phoebe eyed her. She knew now, beyond a doubt that Faith was trying to help them. The woman Piper had killed, the woman who had tried to kill them at the theater, she was trying to save them now from these demons.  
"Back up and explain this to me, you, your son, these demons... I need to catch up."  
"But Piper-"  
"Just tell me quick," Phoebe said. "It might be the only way to save her."  
**


	44. Chapter 43

**Piper slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times in the darkness. She felt a little groggy and she shook her head gently, trying to clear it. Somewhere along the way she had passed out. She hadn't been able to see anything before it had happened, but she was pretty sure they had brought her here in a van of some sort, wherever here was. Piper glanced down, trying to stretch her stiff body. But her hands were still tied behind her, only now she was tied to a chair on top of everything else.  
Of course, Piper thought, nothing new there. But at least she was still alive and unhurt. That on it's own could be considered unique. Usually by this point a demon would have attempted to kill her, or steal her powers, or something equally horrible.  
Glancing around, Piper tried to get her bearings. But wherever she was, it was too dark to see more than a few feet in front of her. It was almost as if she'd been dropped into nothingness, as if she were the last person in the world. Piper almost wished her kidnappers would make an appearance, if only to prove her theory wrong. But really it was better to be alone, to have this time to plan her escape. She highly doubted that Phoebe would mount much of a rescue, if she hadn't been taken herself. And Prue... well there was something definitely wrong with her, since she had played helper to Piper's abduction.  
_ Okay, so we're screwed,_ Piper thought. There was no sense denying it. One sister had the mental capacity of a first grader, one had gone bad, and one was tied to a chair. They weren't going to scare any bad guys that way.  
Piper leaned forward and tried to push herself to a semi-standing position. She'd walk out of here with the chair still attached if she had to. But as she stumbled around, she only succeeded in losing her balance. Piper's scream was muffled by the tape over her mouth, as she fell hard on her side. _Well, that's one more bruise,_ she thought, trying to ignore her blurring vision; her brain hadn't exactly enjoyed its violent collision with the floor. And now she was worse off than she had been before. She wriggled around a little, trying to find a way to roll over with the chair. But there wasn't much she could do. She wasn't going anywhere, certainly not without help.  
"Piper?"  
Piper blinked and craned her neck around. _And there help is,_ she thought. Phoebe was standing not five feet away. Piper had no idea where she'd come from and at that point she really didn't care. All that mattered was that she had a good chance of escaping and that Phoebe had an equally good chance of getting caught herself.  
Phoebe rushed over to her and pushed the chair into an upright position. Piper felt dizzy for a moment, but then the world was still once again. Phoebe reached over and pulled the tape off of her sister's mouth. Piper winced as it tore at her skin.  
"You okay?" Phoebe asked.  
"Yep," Piper said, taking a deep breath. "But I'd really like to get out of here-now please."  
"Um, okay, but how Piper?" Phoebe glanced around, the uncertainty clear in her voice.  
"How?" Piper's eyes widened and she tried not to get angry with her sister for missing the obvious. "Well, untying me would be a start. Then running, running would be good."  
"Piper." Phoebe gave her a disapproving look and suddenly Piper felt like the child. She stared at her younger sister, trying to ease her frustration. But Phoebe wasn't making it easy. "I can't untie you."  
"The words _why not _come to mind."  
"'Cuz," Phoebe smiled. "I don't want to."  
"Huh?" Piper's confusion was obvious. She was beginning to wonder if Prue's odd behavior had rubbed off on their sister. That's all she needed was a second Prue. It was going to be hard enough getting the first one back to her normal, nicer self. "Phoebe, listen to me here. We need to go. I think Prue might be in trouble and-"  
"I don't want to listen to you," Phoebe said, crossing her arms. "I'm sick of hearing you talk."  
"Phoebe, what's wrong with you?" Piper watched her sister, looking for that sweet little kid she'd been dealing with earlier. But that Phoebe was gone now and Piper was beginning to think that she was the only normal Halliwell left, normal being a relative term of course.  
And then as Piper watched with a mix of fascination and dread Phoebe started to laugh. As she did her features began to change, her clothing, her body, everything transforming right before Piper's eyes. And then suddenly it was done. Piper's mouth dropped open a little even as she tried not to look too surprised. But she was, because now she was no longer staring at Phoebe, she was staring at herself.  
"Like looking into a mirror isn't it?" Piper shivered as she heard her own voice. "It's no wonder that witch thought you were with us."  
**

**"What are you doing?" a voice demanded. Danny whirled around, closing the book abruptly. In doing so, he managed to squish his finger between the heavy covers. He gasped and pulled his hand out, wincing as he turned and saw Flynt. He was standing at the top of the stairs, looking very much like one of those stone monuments that had always freaked Danny out.  
"I was reading you jerk!" Danny said, still nursing his finger. He felt suddenly defensive as he stood to face his cousin. "I thought you weren't coming back 'til later."  
"We got what we needed," Flynt said as he descended the stairs. "We're ready for you now. Dad's waiting at the theater."   
"The theater?" Danny gave him a skeptical look. That was the last place he wanted to have a party. It was one thing to do the play there, but celebrating the powers his mom had never wanted him to use in the place where she'd died...that just didn't seem right. "What's wrong with here?"   
"You'll understand when we get there." Flynt wandered over to the book. He picked it up and glanced through its pages, not even bothering to look up at Danny. "The theater holds more power."  
"Whatever you say," Danny turned a little and rolled his eyes. Flynt always sounded kind of goofy when he tried to be serious. He was much better at being a straight out jerk.  
"So what, were you planning to do one of those family history reports or something?" Flynt asked as he flipped through to the prophecy section. "Because I'm not so sure your teacher would get it."  
"I'm not sure I get it," Danny muttered.  
"I bet you think you're all special now, huh?" He curled up his lip in a sneer. Now that was the Flynt Danny knew. His cousin took a few steps forward, then shoved the book at him. Danny nearly had the wind knocked out of him as it pressed into his stomach. "We'll just see how you hold up."  
"You mean because of the test?"  
Flynt had been walking towards the stairs but he whirled back around, his eyes cold and penetrating. Danny had caught his attention.  
"What do you know of it?"  
"I know that there's some kind of test, to see if I'm strong enough," Danny told him, hugging the book to his chest. "And I know that I'll pass it."  
"You'd better hope so," Flynt said. For a moment, Danny felt like they were on the same side. Of course they were, they always had been. He watched as his cousin looked towards the daggers. "You have no idea what's at stake."  
**

**Prue opened her eyes, blinking as she glanced around. The power had finally gone out and the living room was dark, except for the sporadic flashes of lightning. She lay there on the couch cushions that she had curled up on, and tried to go back to sleep. She was so tired and now her head hurt. She wished that she had thought to grab a blanket before she'd lain down. The house was chilly with the damp air seeping into it.   
"Piper!" she yelled, trying to sit up. But that only seemed to make her headache worse. "Piper, could you grab me a blanket?"  
When she got no response, she sighed and rolled over. She heard a squeaking noise and felt something soft under her back. Prue pulled it out and held it close to her face, examining it. A little stuffed bear smiled back at her. Puzzled, she glanced around again, squinting in the darkness.  
"Piper?" she yelled. "Phoebe? What the hell is going on here?"   
She stood slowly, holding her head. There was a flashlight in the desk by the wall, and she promised herself that she'd grab some aspirin right after she retrieved it. Fiddling with the top drawer, she felt around for the flashlight. She finally pulled it out and turned it on, pointing the beam of light around the room.  
The house... Prue's eyes widened, trying to remember what had happened before she'd fallen asleep. But it was all a blur, like some dream she couldn't quite remember. The toys, the mess, they all looked vaguely familiar. And then she saw Phoebe laying there. Prue stood still for a moment, her flashlight never wavering from her sister's face as the past few days came flooding back.  
"Oh God," Prue mumbled as she slowly approached her. "Phoebe." She knelt down beside her little sister who felt so cold to the touch. "Phoebe, please, Phoebe. Oh God, come on." She shook her again, but Prue already knew what had happened. She'd tried so hard to bring her back before and now she remembered. Prue leaned over and hugged her trying not to let herself cry again. She had a feeling that if she started she might never stop. "I'm so sorry."  
Suddenly, Prue felt it, like a gust of wind had traveled straight through her. She lifted her head and pointed the light to the darkest corners of the room, wiping her face with her sleeve. The thunder crashed above her, but then she heard something else, a scraping sound. Prue whirled around just in time to see a picture frame slide off of the table. Without thinking she reached out to catch it, and was about to place it back on the table when the lightning flashed again. Prue caught sight of her own reflection in the glass frame and then she could see the photo once more. It was of her and Piper.  
"Piper," Prue whispered, rubbing her fingers over the glass. She set the frame back down, then grabbed onto the table, pulling herself to her feet. Her legs shook beneath her as she glanced around their trashed living room. She's already lost Phoebe. And now she had a horrible feeling that she had lost Piper too.   
"Piper!" she yelled, knowing already that she wasn't going to get an answer. She checked the kitchen once more, remembering the broken door in the basement. Nothing had changed. No one had bothered to clean up the mess and her sister was gone. Prue circled around the island then headed back towards the living room, checking the other rooms as she went.  
Phoebe was gone, Piper was gone, and she'd left them both there to die. She didn't even know why. It didn't make any sense, the way she'd been acting, the way Phoebe had been acting. Something had gone horribly wrong, only now it was too late for her to fix it. The only thing she knew was that she had failed them both, just like she had failed them that night at the theater. Faith, she must have come back. And she had finally gotten her revenge.  
"Prue?"  
Her head shot up as she heard her name. She pointed her flashlight over in the corner and saw Leo standing there. He held up his hand, trying to block the light from his eyes, as he stepped towards her.  
"Did the power go out or something?" he asked, glancing around. "Where's Piper?"  
Prue just shook her head. She couldn't find the words to explain it. How could she face Leo after everything that had happened? She hadn't forgotten the way she had treated both him and her sisters. And now with Phoebe... Prue swallowed hard.  
"Prue, what happened?" Leo was only a few feet away now. He hadn't even noticed Phoebe yet. He just stared at Prue, an expression of concern on his face.  
"I don't know," Prue mumbled. "There was something wrong with me, and-and..." Her eyes started to water again and she looked down at the floor. "I don't know."  
"The spell must have worn off finally," Leo said, suddenly smiling. He reached out and touched her arm, leaning over until they were eye to eye. "What do you remember, anyway? The horse, the Porches? Ringing any bells here?"  
Prue had stopped listening at that point. She glanced down at his hand on her arm, her eyes widening. Grabbing his hand in both of hers, she stared at it for a moment, finally remembering what should have been so obvious before.  
"You can save her!" Prue exclaimed. Leo stared at her, not understanding. But Prue didn't have time to explain. She dragged Leo over to Phoebe, pulling him down into a kneeling position. "Leo, you can heal her, can't you? I mean, even if she's gone, you can still save her, right?  
"What?" Leo looked from Prue to her sister, finally comprehending the seriousness of the situation. "Prue, what happened?"  
"I don't know!" Prue shook her head, her voice shaking as she continued. "I went back to work and this demon attacked me, and I came home and... It had to have been Faith." She swallowed hard. "But you can save Phoebe right?"  
"I don't know," Leo said frantically, his hands hovering over her sister. "Not if she's dead."  
"But maybe she's not. I mean I felt for her pulse and-"   
"Prue, hold on," he said. "I'm not sure it'll-"  
"No, you saved Piper. I was there, remember?" Prue said, shouting over the sound of the thunder. "You can save Phoebe, I know you can."  
Leo watched his hands, but they still looked the same and Prue could see the desperation on his face. And then, suddenly a warm white light started to emanate from his fingers. It seemed to fill the room, pushing back the darkness. Prue watched intently, willing it to work. Maybe her sister wasn't gone yet. This was their last chance. If Leo failed, she would lose Phoebe forever.**

****

**_Whoa..._ Phoebe took a deep breath and opened her eyes. There was a bright light shining down at her and for a split second she thought that she'd finally moved on. But then as she squinted into the glare she realized that there was a flashlight aimed right at her head. She reached up and pushed it away, then groaned as a wave of pain moved through her body. Her head felt like it had been smacked with a frying pan, but at least she was breathing. _And Faith told me I couldn't come back,_ Phoebe thought, a small smile appearing on her face. She glanced around, searching for the ghost. But if she was there, Phoebe could no longer see her.  
"Phoebe!"  
She blinked again and saw Prue staring down at her. She looked horrible. Her face was tearstained and her hair was a mess. But a huge grin was spreading across her face. Before Phoebe even had the chance to sit up, Prue threw her arms around her. Phoebe winced, trying to hide her pained expression from her sister. But Prue noticed immediately.   
"Oh God, I'm sorry," she said hastily, pulling away. She kneeled there, watching Phoebe with obvious concern. "Did I hurt you?"  
Phoebe shook her head as she tried to push herself up into a sitting position. Leo reached down to help her as she straightened, then leaned back against the couch. Glancing around, Phoebe took in everything. She ran her hand over the fabric of the couch behind her, and was pleased that her fingers no longer went through it. She was definitely alive. But that was about the only thing she was sure of right then. Everything else was a little hazy.  
"Phoebe?" Prue asked anxiously. "Are you okay?"   
"Yeah," Phoebe mumbled finally. "Just feeling a little strange, that's all."   
"It'll wear off soon," Leo assured her.  
"How did you-" she started, still trying to clear her head. "I mean, I was..."  
"Dead," Prue filled in for her.  
"Well, dying anyway," Leo said. "We barely got you back in time."   
"Leo saved you, you know with his-" Prue held her hands out, imitating Leo's healing position. "Hand thingy."  
"Healing touch," Leo corrected her. He knelt down next to Phoebe as if to check her over, then reached out to touch her forehead, pushing her hair out of her eyes. Finally, he smiled. "You look okay to me."   
"Okay and alive," Phoebe said, taking a deep breath. It was good to feel air in her lungs again. "Thanks to you."  
"All part of the job description," he said. "To tell you the truth I wasn't sure it would work."  
"Well it did." Phoebe nodded. Wow, it was weird coming back from the dead. She had finally resigned herself to the fact that she would be leaving her family, her home, everything that she'd known. And now she'd gotten it all back. Phoebe smiled at Leo. "Remember to thank those elder people later. That is a very cool power you have there."  
"Phoebe," Prue said, drawing her attention back. "I'm so sorry. I never should have left you-"  
"It's fine," Phoebe held up one hand to stop her sister. She already knew how heavily Prue's guilt could weigh on her. And she had no reason to feel guilty about this. "That wasn't really you, I know. And now that I'm thinking about it, I don't think that was really me either." She held up one of the stuffed toys then tossed it at Prue. "But together we did manage to make a major mess of things."  
"Well this, this wasn't us." Prue gestured around the room. "I mean I know everything's a little fuzzy, but I think I would have remembered total household annihilation." She grabbed her head with one hand then and leaned back against the couch next to Phoebe. "Although right now my head feels like it has been hit by whatever took out our house."  
"Mine too," Phoebe said, closing her eyes. Her ghostly self hadn't felt any pain, but she could certainly feel it now. Her head, her body, everything ached. "Probably a nice little side effect of death."  
"It's the spell," Leo said. "It's one of the after effects, sort of like a hang over."  
"Joy," Prue muttered. "Just what we needed. As if a murderous ghost weren't enough."  
Phoebe blinked as Prue's words stirred up a memory. Prue was right, everything was a little fuzzy, and that small period where she had been pretty much dead hadn't helped matters any. But somewhere, in the back of her mind, little warning bells were going off. Phoebe glanced over at her sister, as Leo stood to inspect the rest of the house.  
"What did you say?" she asked.  
"Murderous ghosts, as in the one who just killed you."  
"No," Leo called back to them from the next room. "This wasn't Faith's work. Phoebe vanquished her."  
"From the kitchen maybe," Phoebe said under her breath. Prue shot her a confused look, but Phoebe just shook her head. "It was the demon," she said. "He was here, only he looked just like you."  
"No, that's impossible," Prue said quickly. "Because he was at work, looking very much like my boss I might add. But I killed him." Prue seemed to catch Phoebe's skeptical expression. "No really, he was very dead."  
"No, it wasn't just him," Phoebe said. She was starting to remember now, little bits and pieces. There was something about Faith and about this demon they'd been fighting. It was all there in her mind somewhere, if only Phoebe could grab hold of it.  
"Hey," Leo said as he leaned back into the living room. "Where's Piper?"  
Prue's eyes widened and she glanced over at Phoebe. And that was when Phoebe's memory returned. She felt like she was going to be sick. **


	45. Chapter 44

**"Do I really have to wear this?" Danny eyed the outfit for a moment, holding it out at arm's length. It was black and fairly shapeless, nothing too exciting. In fact, it looked sort of like his friend's Halloween costume from two years back, when the other boy had dressed up as the grim reaper. "I thought this was supposed to be a party. I can't wear this to a party."  
"It's tradition, Danny," Flynt said. "This whole thing, it's all about tradition. You just have to go with it."   
"Is there anything else I don't know about?" Danny asked. He was starting to get a little suspicious. Ever since his cousin had found him, Flynt had been giving him the third degree, asking him about Jason, his school and even his mother. Danny had tried to shy away from that topic, but Flynt had persisted. Now the whole thing was starting to feel a little off. But as he watched, his cousin reached up into the air. The knife on the nearby shelf flew into his hand.  
"That's mine!" Danny said a little too forcefully. Then, lifting his own hand, he brought both his cousin and the knife floating towards him. As soon as Flynt was within his reach, he set him back down on the floor and took the knife from his grasp.  
"Uncle Edward said this was mine."  
He glanced down at it as he carefully turned it over. He waited for Flynt to steal it back, or to say something nasty. Instead he just shrugged, his own eyes on the sharpened blade.  
"It is yours. It's always been meant for you." Flynt said. "Wield it in our family name tonight, and you will forever stand with us."  
"What?"   
"You'll see." Flynt put his arm around him and Danny felt a rush of exhilaration, almost as if he and Flynt had joined forces. For once, he didn't feel like shoving his cousin away, or tossing him into a wall. Flynt had chosen to accept him finally. They were family, linked together by something ancient and unbelievably powerful. "You'll prove yourself to me, and to my father."  
"What if I can't?" Danny said. The butterflies were already there, fluttering around in his stomach. He had always feared letting his family down and tonight he had a bigger chance than ever of doing just that. His earlier confidence was quickly diminishing as the ceremony neared. "I don't know what you want. I might not be able to do it."  
"You'll be able to, I know, when the time comes."  
"But how?" Danny asked. He didn't understand. Everyone was talking around him, or above him. The book hadn't really given him all of the information he'd craved. And his family, it was like they were speaking another language, using words he knew, but couldn't really understand. He wished they'd just get to the point, to tell him exactly what they expected. "How can you know that-"   
"Stop," Flynt halted him before he could say anything else. Then, as Danny eyed him in fascination, Flynt reached out and put his palms on Danny's forehead. Suddenly, there was a jolt, almost as if he had momentarily left the world and been transported to another place entirely. He was seeing all kinds of things that he knew had already happened. But each event looked the same, felt the same. He might as well have been reliving them right at that moment.  
Danny sucked in his breath as he saw his mom. She was smiling at him, telling him to hurry up and get on stage. The Christmas pageant was only a week away, after all. And then just like that, Danny was looking at her casket, watching the rain drip off the black finish as it was lowered into the ground. And then there was Jason, taunting him, teasing him, and Piper walking out of his house without saying a word.  
The emotions welled up inside of him until Danny was sure he was going to die, that the anger, the pain was going to blow up within him. But then it was over, just like that, and he was staring into Flynt's eyes. His cousin had a small smile on his face as he let go of Danny.  
"Feel that?"  
Danny nodded slowly, still unable to speak. He glanced down at his hands and realized he was shaking, not from fear but from rage. Flynt had brought out everything and everyone who had ever hurt him. He had unleashed something within him that horrified Danny. At the same time though, it gave him an enormous surge of power. He lifted his hand, as all of the knives in the room flew off the wall. They rotated, their blades pointed directly at Flynt. The other boy backed away for a moment, then ducked as the hundreds of daggers raced over his head. They struck the far wall behind him, lining up like needles in a pincushion.  
Danny smiled, lowering his hand. Flynt straightened a little, a grin creeping across his face.  
"Ready now?" he asked.  
"Oh yeah."   
 **

**Piper was ready to pinch herself. She had to be dreaming. She was staring into her own eyes, looking at her own face, only there was no mirror in front of her. There was a person, flesh and bone, standing there, something evil that had temporarily stolen her identity.  
"Not catching on yet?" she asked. "Oh Piper, I really am disappointed."  
As Piper watched her doppelganger started to transform again and a few seconds later she was staring at Danny's uncle. Piper's surprise must have been evident because he smiled at her, waiting for her to say something. When she didn't, he took a step to her left and then circled her chair. Piper tried to keep her eyes on him, but he disappeared behind her. Then she could feel his hands on her shoulders. His touch made her shiver.  
"There's nothing you can do now," he said. "You stepped blindly right into our hands. I never used to believe in fate, but then you came into Danny's life, you who murdered his mother."  
"So this is your revenge?" Piper asked, feeling rather unnerved that she could no longer see him. She had no idea who or what he was and she was completely at his mercy. "You use your powers to kill me? Originality, apparently not your strong suit."  
"You did me a favor." She could hear him laughing as he continued. "I'm only sad that I wasn't coherent enough to watch that witch die."  
"You're not really a family man, huh?" Piper said, craning her head to try and get a better look at him.  
"She wasn't my family," he said. "I know where I came from and when my brother chose her over us, it was his undoing." Piper held her breath as she heard the rage creeping into his voice. "I won't have Danny making the same mistake. He will be a part of us!"  
His voice seemed to echo through the building, reverberating off of its walls. His words were punctuated by a huge clap of thunder and Piper held her breath. It wasn't hard to see that this thing, whatever was happening, it was personal. And personal usually equaled anger, madness, and death... nothing good for her. She had to find some way to get out of this.   
Suddenly, Piper saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Uncle Edward, or whoever he was, had stepped back into her field of vision. But as he moved in front of her, she could already see that he was transforming again. Piper watched with a mixture of fascination and dread. His new face, she recognized him, but she wasn't sure how. And then finally he pressed his hands together as if he was praying.  
"Bless you my daughter," he said, his face breaking out into a grin. Piper's eyes widened. It was the priest, the man who Faith had been after that night. Piper bit her lip, feeling a wave of anger and guilt wash over her. Faith had been trying to kill a demon, and Piper had stopped her. And now the demon was alive and she was gone and Piper was stuck in a supernatural horror story.  
"Yes, that was me," he said as if reading her mind. "Quite the mix-up, wouldn't you say? But it really is a funny story..."   
"Not that funny," Piper mumbled, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice. She couldn't let him realize how awful she felt right at that moment. He would only use it against her. "So you let her hurt you, almost kill you?"  
"The prophecy had to come true. I had faith... no pun intended." Edward smiled. "I know how this will turn out, and I knew then what I had to do to make it that way."  
"So what are you anyway, a warlock, a demon, or just a really pissed off brother-in-law?"  
"So much for the all mighty Charmed Ones." He folded his arms in front of him, totally comfortable. He had no fear of her, of what she could do. "You guys aren't nearly as perceptive as I'd heard. Surely a demon setting fire to your house should've given you a clue."  
"Vargo demon." Piper said slowly, her voice laced with anger, anger at herself more than anyone else. She looked down at the ground, feeling terribly stupid. It made sense now. If he could glamour into anyone, surely he could be the big ugly creature from the previous evening. _Oh, how my worlds collide,_ she thought. Demons, ghosts, all part of the same big mess... and Piper was right smack in the middle of it.   
**


	46. Chapter 45

**Prue dashed back through the rain, gritting her teeth as her foot landed in a puddle. A chill seized her as the water soaked into her sock, but she pressed on across the grass, heading up the front steps. Phoebe held the front door open for her as she raced inside then slid out of her rain soaked jacket. Phoebe took it and hung it up on the coat rack as Prue shook the water out of her hair.  
"I told you to take your umbrella," Phoebe said, raising her voice to be heard through the thunder. She waved her flashlight at Prue, the light beam making crazy patterns on the wall. "You can still catch pneumonia, even in June."  
"Thanks Mom."  
It was strange having Phoebe play the parent for once. That had always been Prue's job. Actually, it had been Piper's for the last few days. But Prue had been only too happy to give it up.  
"Oh God, that was a mom thing wasn't it?" Phoebe scrunched up her nose, and then eyed her reflection in the mirror by the doorway. "Wow, that's scary. Must be trying to make up for the kid side."  
"Yeah, well good luck to you on that one," Prue said, pulling off her shoes and socks as she turned on her own flashlight. Then, she found the slippers Phoebe had left by the stairs, and hastily put them on. "One trip to the car and it's like I walked through a waterfall."   
"That's why we call it rain."   
"Uh-huh." Prue hardly heard her as she turned back towards Phoebe, clasping her hands together to keep them from shaking. "Okay, so what's our new theory?"  
"Simplified version? Faith good, Danny's uncle bad, very, very bad."  
"Great," Prue said, trying not to let the impatience creep into her voice. "That's something to go on... I guess."   
"Not really, but it's all we have." Phoebe leaned back against the door. Outside the storm had given no sign of letting up and she looked up towards the ceiling as the thunder sounded again. "It's pretty bad out there."   
Prue watched as the lightning flashed in the window behind her. The effect was eerie and she looked away as her sister continued.  
"I hope wherever Piper is, she's indoors."  
Prue nodded. As always, Phoebe was just trying to be optimistic. Piper had bigger problems than being rained on. And they both knew it, even if they didn't want to admit it to themselves just yet.   
"Did you find it?" Leo asked as he appeared from the kitchen.  
"Yeah." Prue pulled out the knife she had taken from the demon. The strange colored blood had washed off in her dash through the rain. Now the blade gleamed under the glare of the flashlights. Prue knew it had to be worth a lot of money, but right then all she wanted was the information that it could provide. "Does it mean anything to you?"  
Leo took it from her and peered at it as the sisters waited anxiously. Then he sighed and gave it back to Prue. The worry was evident on his face. Prue's heart sank as she glanced back down at the knife.  
"It's definitely a Vargo demon," he said.  
"And you think that's what took Piper?" Phoebe asked. "Danny's surrounded by Vargo demons?"  
"Well, they usually come in groups, families actually," he said. "They're more powerful that way."  
"Okay," Phoebe said. "So they took Piper to the family reunion. Any idea where that might be?"  
"Your guess is a good as mine," Leo said. He paced around the entryway, running his hands through his hair. Prue could hear the utter frustration in his voice. He, better than anyone, knew what they were up against, what Piper was up against.  
"Well can't you find her?" Prue said. "I mean you can do that right? We've seen you do that."  
"I can try but if she's hurt, if she's unconscious... it doesn't always work."  
"Didn't we just have this conversation when you saved Phoebe?" Prue asked. "You didn't think-"  
"That was different."  
"If it's meant to work it always works, Leo," Phoebe protested. "Your bosses are on our side, right? How could They not help us?"  
"Well…, They weren't overly thrilled when we got back together."  
"So, They're going to let the bad guys kill her?" Phoebe asked in exasperation. "Who needs enemies when we have Them?"   
"Leo, can't you just try?" Prue asked, trying to diffuse the situation before it got any worse. Phoebe looked ready to go out and fight someone but Leo wasn't the someone she should've been fighting. "If there's anyone you can connect with, it would have to be Piper."  
Leo nodded finally, then reluctantly closed his eyes. He seemed wary about what he might see, what he might find out, and Prue couldn't blame him. She glanced over at Phoebe and they waited. Prue tried not to think about what could be happening to Piper right at that moment. It felt like they were wasting their time. But they couldn't do anything until they knew where she was and how they could get to her.   
Prue looked back over at Leo as he opened his eyes. Immediately, she could sense his disappointment. Phoebe tensed beside her as she directed her flashlight towards the crestfallen whitelighter.  
"Nothing?"  
"I'm sorry." Leo shook his head. "I couldn't find her."   
"Does that mean she's..." Phoebe trailed off, her voice wavering.  
"No," Leo said quickly. "It doesn't mean anything. I just couldn't reach her that's all. There are hundreds of reasons why that would happen..." He stopped abruptly and looked towards the ceiling. Like her sister, Prue had become used to the frequent interruptions in Leo's life. The Elders, or whoever Leo's bosses were, had an uncanny ability to take him away just when they needed him most. "They're calling me," he said finally.  
"Then tell Them to call back later," Phoebe said, taking a step closer to him. She wasn't going to let Leo off the hook, Prue could already tell. "This is Piper we're talking about. She's more important than the big whitelighter powwow."  
"I know, but-" Leo started then stopped. Prue knew he was torn. Normally, she would have felt some sympathy for him. But circumstances as they were, a big part of her sided with Phoebe. She figured Leo's decision should've been clear. "Phoebe, they may be able to help us. I need to find out."  
"Fine," Phoebe waved him off as she started back towards the living room. "Go, chat. We'll just be here, trying to save Piper. But I hope the conference is nice."  
"Phoebe..."  
"It's okay," Prue said finally, gently touching Leo's arm. "We get it. Just go, but try and make it fast."  
"I will," he said. "I promise. I'd never let anything happen to her."  
"I know," Prue said. He nodded at her then disappeared in the white shimmer of light that they'd grown accustomed to.  
"I can't believe he left," Phoebe said, crossing her arms. She sounded angry, but Prue could see the tears in her eyes. "He's the only one who can find her."  
"Phoebe, he's already broken all the rules for Piper. He lost his wings for her," she said. "He wouldn't have gone if he didn't think it was important."  
"I know," Phoebe said collapsing onto the couch. She held her head in her hands as she leaned over her knees. "I'm just-" She glanced up at her. "I'm scared Prue. I mean we have no idea where Piper is, or whether she's okay. The only thing we do know is that they want to kill her."  
"We'll find her, all right?" Prue pushed aside the stuffed animals and debris, then sat down next to Phoebe. She put her arm around her little sister and nodded towards the Book of Shadows. It sat open on a nearby table where Phoebe had been poring over it. Prue tried not to shudder as she looked over the demon pictures. "So, did you get anything out of it?"  
"No," Phoebe said. "Nothing new. And I've been all over this house trying to get a premonition. Why doesn't my power ever work when I need it to?"  
"Wait," Prue stopped her before Phoebe could go on. "Maybe it does. Right before we changed..."  
"Oh Prue, please don't remind me..."  
"No, you had that premonition, remember?" Prue's eyes widened as her memory came back. "The one about Piper."   
Phoebe looked down at the ground and Prue knew that she had indeed remembered. Then Phoebe sprang to her feet and whirled around to face Prue.  
"The one where Piper died," she said quickly. "She was at the gym."  
"It makes sense," Prue said as she stood. "That's where Piper first met Danny. Maybe it has some special meaning or something."   
"God Prue, I brought Piper there," Phoebe said. "I was the one who introduced her to the freak fest."  
"Yeah, well, I was the one who left the house." Prue hastily put her shoes back on then grabbed her coat. She threw Phoebe hers then pulled open the door. A sheet of rain blew in at them and Prue braced herself for the trek back to the car. "Let's save the guilty conscience for later. You have the spell?"  
Phoebe patted the pocket of her pants.  
"Let's go get our sister back."   
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**"You've gotta be crazy!" Danny tried to pull away from his cousin. But Flynt had him firmly by the shoulders so that Danny couldn't scramble away. Finally, he was able to wriggle out of Flynt's grasp, his hood slipping off as he shook his head. "I'm not going to kill anyone! Why would we do that?"  
"Danny, it's part of the ritual."  
"That part wasn't in the book!" he protested. "I read it…or I tried to read it."  
"How far did you get?" Flynt demanded as he followed Danny out of the dressing room. "Did you read about the prophecy, about the power? That's you, but only if you claim your place."   
"You can have it. You always wanted it anyway," Danny said as he whirled around to face the older boy. He couldn't believe what his cousin was asking of him. He hadn't known Flynt all that long. They'd been separated after his father's death and had only met again when his uncle had taken him in. Now, Danny was beginning to see how much he still had to learn about his new family._ Starting with the fact that they're nuts,_ he thought.  
"This isn't some game, little boy!" Flynt said, lowering his voice to a whisper as he got closer to the curtain. "All this time, you've been thinking how fun it is, how great it'll be to get these powers. But nobody's messing around. Carson died tonight, fighting for you!"   
"What?" Danny's eyes widened in horror. "What are you talking about?"  
"These people, these witches, they're against us. They want to destroy this family."  
"They killed him?" Danny swallowed trying to comprehend what Flynt was saying.  
"That's what they do, unless we get rid of them first," he explained. "Like I said, this isn't some game. I told my father to prepare you, but he didn't want you to know. Now you do..."  
"Does that mean that you killed somebody?"  
"She was a witch, a bad witch," Flynt assured him. "She had to be stopped."  
"My mother was a witch!" Danny shouted. He raised one hand and watched out of the corner of his eye as the knife he had brought rose from the pedestal they'd set up. Flynt saw it too, but he was trying to ignore it. "Did you kill her?" Danny asked, feeling his rage boil within him. In his mind he no longer saw Flynt. He saw his mother smiling at him, reaching out to hug him, to comfort him. And then he saw her coffin. "Did you Flynt? Because then maybe I'll kill you. Is that part of the ceremony?"  
"Hey, careful Danny," Flynt held his hands up, genuinely afraid. Danny wanted to smile, to feed off of his fear. But instead he watched as his cousin stepped away from him. "We're family, remember?"  
"Yes we are," a voice boomed from the corner. Danny turned and saw his uncle standing there near the stairs to the back room. The knife dropped to the floor as Danny slid back into the shadowy corner, trying to escape his penetrating gaze. "Families stick together. We help each other."  
"I don't kill for my family," Danny mumbled.  
"Oh really?" His uncle smiled at him as he crossed the backstage area, casually thrusting his hands in his pockets. "You were ready to kill Flynt there to avenge your mother's death."   
"That was different."   
"No, not as much as you might think," he said. "And just so you know, he didn't kill your mom. But I do know who did."  
"Who?" Danny almost leapt at him. He had to know, he needed to know. He'd never forgotten that someone, somewhere, was responsible for his mother's death. But he'd never thought he'd find out who that person might be. Now that he had the chance he wasn't going to let it slip by. Somehow at the mention of his mother, Danny had crossed a line. Now, nothing mattered to him, not the ritual, not what he had to do. The line was crossed and he wasn't looking back. They'd found the right button. He wanted revenge. "Tell me now."   
"Or you'll what..." His uncle shrugged. "Kill me?"  
"Maybe," Danny said, his voice laced with malice. But he knew his Uncle wasn't afraid of him. And he had no reason to be. He was much more powerful than Danny at least until the ritual went through.  
"No," his uncle said. "We're family, and we help each other. And because of that I've found the person who killed your mom. She's an evil witch, sent straight up from hell itself." He smiled and Danny felt his heart start to race. "And tonight you will get to kill her and claim your place in our history."  
"And the prophecy, is that about me?"  
"Yes, of course." Uncle Edward glanced over at his son, then back at Danny. "Hasn't Flynt been telling you anything? You're sorely lacking in knowledge of our family."  
"So you tell me then."  
"Our power, your power, it comes from our blood mixing with that of a witch. Her death allows you to feed off her power once you have finished the test." Uncle Edward came and put his hand on Danny's shoulder. "But you, my son, you were born from our blood and that of a witch. You are the purest form of what we strive for. And when you go through the ceremony, you will be more powerful than all of us combined."   
**

**"Do you think he'll go through with it?" Flynt said as he stood by his father. Together, they watched as Danny disappeared down the stairs and into the back room. Edward knew that he would need some time to let everything sink in. The boy was young and he was only half demon. He didn't have the same drive that he and Flynt had been born with. But Edward knew he could change that. All he needed to do was hit the right buttons.  
"He'll go through with it." Edward nodded stretching his arms. Already, he was tired of his human form. But transforming back into his demon self wasn't an option, not until they had Danny completely.  
"He'll kill her," Edward said. "The boy's got the anger within him. And now that he's grown stronger, he's immune to her powers."  
"But look at his father," Flynt insisted. "He was ready to ascend, to take his power to the next level." Edward could hear the bitterness in Flynt's voice. It was surprising, since Flynt had been so young at the time. But clearly Edward had told the story often enough to make his son feel the sting of betrayal every bit as much as he had. "And instead he fell in love with that witch. He went against his own family!"  
"And he paid for it," Edward said. "And if Danny chooses the same path then he will pay too. But I have a feeling he will not follow his father. Danny has powers his father never had."   
"And that was the very reason you wanted to get rid of him before, remember? If he sided with good it could be the end of us," Flynt said. Beneath that human looking skin, Edward knew his son was seething. Perhaps it was jealousy for what his cousin was about to attain. Edward didn't care. Flynt would have to learn his place, and fast.  
"He was under his mother's control then. We failed by letting her discover us before we could get to him." Edward sucked in his breath, still embarrassed about his misjudgment. "It was a mistake, but it was one that I fixed."  
"And what makes you think you're not making another mistake?" Flynt asked. "Just because that witch killed Faith, and did your job for you, that doesn't mean that he will kill her! Why choose someone he's so clearly attached to?"  
"Where's your mind, Flynt?" With one quick motion Edward shoved him into the back wall between the dressing room doors. Flynt's eyes registered his surprise, but that only made Edward angrier. His son wasn't listening. He wasn't paying attention. "This ritual is about a timeless fight, a game which we must all play to get to this level."  
"The fight between good and evil..." Flynt breathed.  
"Exactly," he said. "If evil wins, if he wins, then we have him. But there's no guarantee that he won't go back, that he won't betray us."  
"You want the guarantee."  
"Of course I want the guarantee!" Edward growled. His brother had taught him never to believe that evil was pure, not until it had been absolutely proven. His brother had switched over. Danny would not. "If he can finish the ritual by killing that witch, the only person he cares about, then we will know that we have him forever."   
"And if not?"  
"Then you get to kill them both," Edward said. "It'll be my gift to you."**


	47. Chapter 46

**  
"Okay, what are you doing?" Phoebe tore her eyes from the road just long enough to glance over at Prue. Her sister was gripping the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. But her foot was pressed firmly on the brake. Prue turned to look at her, obviously confused.  
"What do you mean?"  
"We're kind of in a hurry here," Phoebe said, nodding towards the street. "I think your foot is on the wrong pedal."   
"Phoebe, the light's red."   
Phoebe glanced around the deserted, rain soaked, streets. She hadn't seen a single person since they'd jumped in the car twenty minutes before. She looked back at Prue.  
"So?"  
"Oh, all right. Good point." Prue's eyes widened as she finally seemed to get it. "Screw the light."  
She shoved her foot back on the gas pedal and the car tore off down the road. Phoebe grabbed the door handle to keep from sliding to one side as they took a turn a little too quickly. But it was better than sitting still. At least now they were getting somewhere. They were getting closer to Piper. Phoebe could still hear Faith's voice in her head, the story she had told. It made shivers run down her spine. These Vargo demons didn't play nice.  
"We're almost there," Prue said as if reading her mind. "Piper will be fine."  
"You don't know that," Phoebe said, more to herself than to Prue. "I mean what were we doing? All the signs were right there. We knew the demon, and we should've known about Faith."   
"Phoebe, she was scaring the hell out of both you and Piper," her sister said. "It was kind of hard to see her as an ally."  
"But we could've found out about Danny and the priest," Phoebe said. She rested her elbow on the door, staring out the window. "If we had followed through, investigated a little, we would've known."  
"We're witches Pheebs. We do what we can, and then we have to let it go," Prue insisted. "We don't have time for follow up visits."   
"And what if something happens to Piper?" Phoebe asked. She was trying so hard not to think about it. But it was impossible. "Are you still going to be saying that?"  
"Well, what I don't understand is how come no one told us?"  
Phoebe knew her sister was changing the subject, but she did have a point.  
"I mean between our big book of info, our whitelighter, and Grams' messages from beyond the grave..."  
"You're going to blame this on Grams?"  
"No, I'm going to blame this on The Powers That Be. They're supposed to help us and instead we get these way vague, big danger messages," Prue continued. "I don't remember any warning about a good witch trying to protect her son from her demon brother-in-law who killed her husband and-"  
"Okay, stop," Phoebe said. Her mind was whirling as she tried to keep up. "It's like a supernatural soap opera."   
"I know," Prue said. "So why didn't anyone know about it? This kid could be one of the most powerful person-demon, whatever, in the world and no one sends us a memo?"  
"There's a lot of evil out there," Phoebe said. "I guess they can't tell us about all of it all of the time."  
"Well try some of the time," Prue said. "A red flag or something might be nice."  
"There's the school!" Phoebe pointed out the window. She could just see it under the dim light of the street lamps. The buildings were completely dark. The parking lot was empty.  
Prue took the turn fast and Phoebe heard the tires squeal. She grabbed the knife from the back seat and held it away from her body as Prue hit the brake. The car came to a halt directly in front of the gym and Phoebe stared through the rain splattered windshield, searching for signs of a demonic gathering. Thunder crackled overhead and the rain made drumming sounds on the car's roof. Finally, she glanced over at Prue.  
"I don't know if I'm ready for this," Phoebe said quietly, her voice barely audible over the storm. "Prue, maybe it's too late. Leo couldn't find her…"  
"Stop it. You can't think like that," Prue said as she shoved open her door. Phoebe could feel cool rain droplets hitting her skin. "Come on, let's go."  
"What do we do when we find the demon?" Phoebe asked as she chased her sister across the grass towards the gym.  
"We kill it." Prue stopped at the door. She pried the knife out of Phoebe's hand and inspected it once more. "On second thought, I'll kill it. You get Piper."  
"Sounds like a plan," Phoebe said as she grabbed for the door knob. But it was locked. Prue quickly pushed her aside and Phoebe turned to glare at her.  
"What are you…" she started. But then she stopped as Prue waved her arm. Phoebe held her breath and watched as the door flew open. Then she followed her sister inside, glancing around. She knew that if the demons were ready for them, then they'd both be dead. They hadn't exactly made an inconspicuous entrance. But as the lightning flashed, Phoebe saw that the gym was empty. Her heart sank as she turned back towards Prue.  
"They're not here." She felt stupid stating the obvious. But she had to say something. To fall silent was to admit defeat. "Prue, why aren't they here? This is where I had the premonition."  
"On the stage?"  
"Yes, on the stage!" Phoebe said. "You were there, remember?"   
"No, Phoebe, was Piper on the stage?"  
"Yes, she was standing right there, and then something, some lightning bolt thingy came out and…"  
"There is no stage." Prue motioned towards the middle of the room, pointing the knife at where the stage should have been. Phoebe followed her gaze. She had noticed that of course, but somehow her brain hadn't quite registered it. Now though, she stared at the floor where their little set-up should have been.  
"I don't understand." She shook her head. "That's where she was in my premonition. There has to be a stage, Prue."   
"Well, there isn't one."   
"Okay, well where else should we look?" Phoebe asked. "I'm thinking that we don't have time to check every stage in the city."  
"The play was moved," Prue said slowly, tapping the knife lightly against her palm. She was obviously deep in thought, but Phoebe wished that she'd just spit out whatever was going on inside that brain of hers. "I remember Piper was freaking out about it because the school needed the gym for something else."  
"Yeah, so? I don't know where they moved it to!" Phoebe said. Her frustration was getting the better of her. She knew she had to calm down and concentrate. But she couldn't forget that they were losing precious time. She'd been so sure they'd find Piper here. "Where would we have put it?"  
"Another school?" Prue suggested, but she didn't sound very confident.  
"All right, I think we're in trouble here." Phoebe clenched her fists and glanced around the gym once more, half expecting the stage to pop up out of the floor, preferably with her sister on it. But she had no such luck. She whirled around again, holding her hand out. "Quick, give me something of Piper's."  
"Phoebe, I don't just carry around Piper's personal belongings."   
"Just find something."   
Prue sighed and rifled around in her purse. Phoebe stepped closer trying to get a better look as Prue pulled something out and handed it over.  
"Her wallet?" Phoebe asked. "You stole her wallet?"   
"No, I did not steal her wallet."  
"I doubt she handed it over willingly."  
"For your information, my other self stole it." Prue gave her a pointed look. "Now shouldn't you be trying to get a premonition or something? I found the wallet now you find Piper."   
"Oh, that's fair," Phoebe said. But she didn't feel like arguing. She pressed the little wallet in between her palms and closed her eyes. But nothing happened. _Of course,_ Phoebe thought, that would figure. She always seemed to get her premonitions at the most inopportune times. But when she desperately needed one, they never came.  
"Anything?" She heard Prue's voice. Half of her wanted to tell her older sister to shut up, to let her concentrate. But that would be the frustration talking. Phoebe just shook her head, slowly opening her eyes.  
"I can't see anything."  
"All right, let's try this from another angle," Prue said. "We know this Edward guy has her right, I mean that's what the ghost told you."  
"She seemed pretty sure of that, yes."  
"So where would he take her?"  
"His house?"  
"Phoebe, I saw the knife collection in their basement," Prue said. "We'd better pray she's not there."  
"Okay, knives but no stage. Where else would..." Phoebe stopped, her voice trailing off. It was so obvious now. All they had to do was connect the dots; each of the players in their deadly game had originated from one place, from one event. "Prue, the theater. That's where she is."  
"The theater? You really think they'd take her there?"   
"Where else?" Phoebe asked. "That's got to be it."  
"It'd have to be empty." Prue nodded, her eyes brightening as she followed Phoebe's train of thought. "They're tearing it down soon."  
"That's all the way across the bridge!" Phoebe ran for the door. The thought of getting back in the car and driving for another half an hour was disheartening. But they had no choice. There was no quicker way. "Prue, come on!"  
Phoebe whirled around as she got to the door. She could just barely make out Prue's form. She was still standing in the middle of the gym. Gritting her teeth, Phoebe hurried back to her sister. But Prue's shoulders were slumped. Her head was down and her eyes were closed. Phoebe already knew what that meant. Prue was gone. She'd astral projected right out of the gym. And maybe, if they were lucky, she'd be able to find their sister. **

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**Piper winced as she tried to move her wrists once more. But whoever had tied the knots had done a pretty good job of it. And that's what worried her. Because now that she thought about it, she realized that she was dealing with more than one demon. Edward could very well have been the fire demon from the night before. But if he had glamoured into Prue, then that still left the demon that had attacked her in the house. Two demons equaled twice as many problems. And if there really was a whole family, as Edward had alluded to, then she was in serious trouble, particularly since her own family was suffering from the effects of the child spell.  
"Don't bother," she heard a voice say as she continued to struggle against the ropes. "I know how to tie a good knot. It's not like you're the first witch we've ever killed."  
There's that mention of my death again, Piper thought. And the voice registered immediately. It was Flynt, obnoxious little Flynt, who had seemed so annoyingly harmless just twenty-four hours before. Piper was a little surprised. She'd always assumed that demons that could glamour would choose tougher appearances. Piper couldn't even bring herself to be afraid of him, which was saying a lot, considering the situation.  
"What, are you like the apprentice or something?" Piper said finally. "Is it really going to take two of you just to kill me?"  
"I guess you'll find out soon enough." Flynt smiled as he came closer. He stepped around Piper's chair, tugging at the ropes. Piper tried to keep her expression neutral, but each tug made the ropes dig into her skin. She had to bite down on her lip to keep from crying out in pain. If she ever got out of here, this sadistic little creep was going to be the first one to go.  
"I think it'll be fun watching you die. My ceremony was so boring. She went so quickly. You, I'm not so sure about though." He stopped in front of her, giving her a thoughtful look. "I think you might take longer."  
He started around her chair again but Piper managed to stick her leg out just far enough to trip him. She smiled in satisfaction as he lost his balance and nearly fell to the floor. But unfortunately he recovered quickly, his face a shade redder than before.  
"You'll pay for that!" he yelled pulling back his hand. Piper closed her eyes, waiting for the sting of his palm across her face. But it never came. She opened her eyes just enough to see what had stopped him.  
"Prue!" She squinted at her sister as Prue suddenly appeared. The boy had already caught sight of her, and was ready, a fireball forming in his hand. Prue waved one of her arms, ready to deflect it. Piper watched the shock register on her face as the fireball stayed right on course. At the last minute, Prue dove to one side, the flames barely missing her.  
"Oh, ow, okay," Prue gasped as she sat up. Piper bit her lip, realizing just as her sister had that Prue's powers didn't work when she astral projected. It was a big detail, but one they often overlooked. And Prue had obviously overlooked it this time.  
"If you're the Calvary, this isn't going to be much fun," Flynt said with a laugh. "You're making it easy."  
"Bite me!" Prue spat out as she got to her feet.  
"Yeah, bite her!" Piper repeated. Flynt turned his attention back on her and Piper's eyes widened as she saw another fireball forming. Perhaps she'd gotten carried away. "Uh...Prue," Piper said slowly as Flynt advanced towards her. "Okay, not good."  
"I might not be able to kill you now," Flynt said. "But I can make it hurt a…"  
Piper watched as Prue smashed one of the prop trees over his head. A long crack formed in the wood as Flynt crumpled to the ground. Piper smiled when he didn't get up.  
"Bite her?" Prue raised her eyebrows.  
"Hey, I was just trying to provide a little back up," Piper protested. "Not an easy thing to do with your hands tied behind your back."   
"So you resort to vicious words." Prue nodded as she rushed over to her. "Brings new meaning to that whole sticks and stones thing."  
"Nice timing anyway," Piper said. She was about to say something else, when she stopped and eyed her sister suspiciously. This whole demon shape-shifting thing was making her paranoid. "All right, so you're either the normal Prue, the young Prue, or the evil Prue. But since you just smashed in that little brat's head I'm ruling out evil Prue."  
"Piper, what the hell are you talking about?" she sounded exasperated.  
"And now I'm ruling out young Prue." Piper nodded. "Thank God. Now, get me out of here."  
"My thoughts exactly." Prue moved around behind her and Piper felt a wave of relief as her sister started to pick at the knots. "So are you okay?"  
"Uh-huh," Piper said. "How about you? Last I checked you were driving down the sidewalk in a very expensive car."  
"Never gonna live that down am I?"  
"Not until one of us does something stupider, and that could be hard to top."  
"Thanks," Prue said. "Aside from a run in with a very nasty demon, and a slight headache, I'm doing much better."  
"There was another demon?"  
"Same type, same bad attitude, but more intent on killing than kidnapping." Prue was still struggling with the knots as Piper tapped her feet against the floor impatiently. "Guess you got the better end of the deal."  
"Who says?" Piper asked. "I'm the one tied to the chair. Speaking of which, do you mind hurrying up back there?"   
"I'm trying," Prue muttered.  
"There are at least two demons running around this place, and they didn't bring me here to experience my cheery demeanor."  
"You got that right."  
Piper's eyes widened as she heard Flynt's voice again. She glanced over at where he should have been, only to realize that he was no longer there. Prue had finally finished freeing Piper's hands. But she was still tied to the chair. And as she watched out of the corner of her eye, the boy appeared from the darkness. And now he was changing, just like Edward had. But instead of taking on the slightly less menacing form of one of her sisters, he was changing back into his actual demon form, claws and all.  
"Uh, Prue." Piper tried to get her sister's attention, but she was still working on the ropes. "Prue!"  
"Piper, I am going as fast as I-" She stopped as a fire ball flew over their heads. "Oh, oh God," Prue said. "Okay, what do I do?"  
"Kill him," Piper said quickly. "Killing him would be good."   
"With what?" she shouted, pulling Piper and her chair out of the line of fire. Prue slid her all the way back behind the set for the wizard's castle, then shrieked as the flames exploded above them. Piper struggled in the chair, trying to free herself from the ropes. Her wrists were untied, but her hands were still stuck behind her back. No powers, no demon fighting. Prue would have to hold him off on her own.  
"Uh, all right, really needing to get out of here now," Prue said glancing out around the castle. From the look on her sister's face, Piper knew that she'd spotted Flynt. Quickly, she ducked back behind the oversized piece of plywood, turning towards Piper. "Tell me you have a plan here."  
"No, I do not have a plan!" Piper said, her eyes widening. "You're the one who astraled her butt in here. You're supposed to bring the plan with you!"  
Prue winced as they heard something sizzle nearby. Smoke was rising over the top of the castle and Piper saw another barrage of fireballs fly past the set they were hiding behind.  
"How long do you think you can stop me?" Flynt growled, his voice somewhat muffled by the set that stood between them. "We don't need you, Prue. Step away and you'll remain unhurt."   
"I don't know," Piper shouted. "I think you lost a little credibility when the claws appeared."  
"She's right," Prue added. "A demon in need of a serious shave doesn't instill a whole lot of confidence."  
Prue glanced over at Piper then nodded towards the plywood set directly in front of them. Piper stared at her for a moment, completely lost. But then suddenly she got it. She watched as Prue cautiously stuck her head out from behind it, searching for Flynt. She leapt back though as a fire ball whizzed by.  
"Come on guys," Flynt said. "This is just sad. I guess you've got a lot to learn about fighting us."  
"And here's something for you to learn!" Prue yelled, finally seizing the opportunity. She took a step back then kicked the set as hard as she could. "We protect each other. And no fangy faced hairball is going to stop that."  
A grin spread across Piper's face as the set toppled over onto the demon. There was a loud groan, but then Flynt fell silent. Piper glanced over at Prue, noting her sister's satisfied look.  
"Whoa," she said. "Glad you're on my side."   
"Yeah." Prue turned back to her sister. "Let's just get you out of here."  
"No argument there," Piper said. She moved a little, trying to help Prue loosen her bonds. Finally, Prue untied the last bit of rope and pulled her out of the chair. Piper stretched, feeling the blood rush back to her limbs. Then she glanced around, trying to find the best avenue of escape.  
"Where the hell are we?"  
"Piper," a voice boomed over the loud speakers. Piper's head shot up and she spun around as the lights became brighter. "And here I thought you'd figured it out."  
The theater, Piper finally understood. They were in the old theater. She hadn't thought about it before, the sets, the plywood forest. But she was back in the Wizard of Oz, and worse yet, she was back in that same theater, on the same stage.  
Her mouth went dry as she realized that she'd been there all along. Rows of seats were laid out in front of her, and behind her was the large red curtain she remembered from that night last December.   
"You didn't know?" Prue asked.  
"Of course she didn't." Piper recognized Edward's voice now. It was coming over the theater's sound system. She had no idea where he was. Piper took a few steps back, avoiding the fallen set as her eyes scanned every inch of the theater. And then she felt her sister's hand on her arm. She quickly turned towards Prue, seeing her worried expression.   
"What?"  
"I have to go," Prue said quickly.   
"Go?" Piper's eyebrows went up. Was her sister insane? Her timing certainly couldn't have been worse. "Go where?"  
"The astral projection, it's-" Prue's voice faded as she started to disappear. "I'm sorry, Piper."  
"Sorry? Oh no, you can't just-" But Prue was already gone. Piper dropped her hands to her sides in anger. Between Prue and Leo she should've been used to total abandonment. But it wasn't easy when she was the one being left behind with two demons bent upon murdering her. "What, there isn't room for two on the astral plane?"   
"Alone again, Piper. Still think you're getting out of here?"  
"Oh shut up!" Piper said. The game was getting old and her fear had turned to annoyance. Prue had come, she'd seen, and she'd promptly left Piper with some very bitter enemies. She wasn't going to take having her face rubbed in it, no matter how scary her antagonist was.  
"Piper?"   
Piper froze, her heart nearly stopping. Danny's voice was muffled, but it wasn't difficult to recognize. She watched as he pushed his way through the curtain. When he saw her he stopped abruptly and stared. Piper was just as surprised to see him. And then out of the corner of her eye she saw Flynt, now back to his boyish form, start to push his way out from under the set.  
"Danny, get out of here!" she said quickly. But Danny didn't move. Instead he looked to his cousin, obviously confused.   
"Flynt, what's going on?"  
"I decided that you were right Danny," Edward said. "Piper is the perfect guest."  
Piper's eyes moved around the theater, still searching for the elder demon. But wherever he was, he wasn't ready to reveal himself just yet. Danny, for his part, didn't seem scared at all. _Of course not_, Piper thought. _They're family, which means Danny is evil...maybe_. Piper was still trying to sort it out in her mind.   
Flynt just stood there, a grin spreading across his face. Piper threw out her hands, ready to freeze him. But nothing happened. Her powers were as useless as Prue's. She saw Flynt eyeing her. He'd known all along that she was pretty much helpless, and he was enjoying the moment. Then he raised his hand and pointed at Piper.  
"Danny," he said. "Meet the witch who killed your mother." **

AN: Hmmmmm, I think I'll leave it here for a week or two. :-P Or maybe if I get more reviews that from just one nice person, (thanks LostWitch5) I'll be more inclined to continue.


	48. Chapter 47

**You guys know I was just kiddin, right? I wouldn't do that to you! Thanks for reviewing, here you go.**

**"Where'd you go?" Phoebe shook Prue, trying to get an answer more quickly. "Did you see Piper? Is she okay?"  
"Yeah," Prue said as she slowly glanced up. She turned her head and blinked a few times, then focused her eyes on Phoebe. "Yeah, she was okay."  
"Was? As in past tense?"  
"As in a demon came and interrupted the escape," Prue said, still looking a little dazed. Phoebe knew it took her sister a moment to get her bearings, but she wanted information, and fast.  
"And you chose that time to make the return trip?"  
"Okay, when was the last time you visited the astral plane?" Prue said, bristling a little. "I don't have complete control over it yet. I can't just stay somewhere indefinitely. If I could I'd be taking a permanent vacation in Hawaii."  
"I'm sorry," Phoebe said quickly. She certainly didn't want to make Prue mad. Griping at each other wasn't going to get them to the theater any faster. "Well, can you go back and just keep going back and forth until I catch up with you?"  
"Uh-no." Prue said grabbing her arm gently and propelling her towards the door. "Let's just go. I don't know how long she can hold them off."  
"Them?" Phoebe pulled the door open and stared out at the rain. If anything, the storm had gotten worse. "There was more than one?"   
"Leo said family, remember?"   
"Oh, right." Phoebe shoved her sister out into the rain and watched as Prue took off towards the car. Then she threw up the hood on her coat and ran after her, splashing through puddles. "We're coming, Piper."   
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**Piper rubbed her wrist gingerly as Danny continued to stare at her. She tried to ignore him as she examined her reddening skin, then pulled her sleeves down over the rope burns. But when she glanced back up, his eyes were still on her. He was waiting for her to respond, to defend herself against Flynt's accusation. But there was nothing she could say. Flynt had spoken the truth. He might have been one nasty little demon, but he wasn't a liar. _Just my luck_, Piper thought.  
The theater remained silent for a few more seconds. Wherever Edward was he didn't feel like weighing in on the matter. He was probably watching, enjoying the moment. He had gotten everything that he'd wanted. Faith was dead and she was to blame. And Danny ... Well, she still wasn't sure how he fit into the picture. But she had a feeling that there was a lot he didn't know about his father's side of the family. And unfortunately for her, he probably didn't care right about then.   
"It was you?" Danny didn't seem to believe it. Piper looked down at the stage, trying to decide if she should admit to it or lie to him. Neither option was looking that great. So she kept her mouth shut as Danny took a few hesitant steps towards her. "Piper, was it you?"  
Piper tried to pretend that she hadn't heard him. The only thing she needed to concentrate on was finding a way to escape. This was one family she didn't want to spend any more time with. For all she knew, this little kid was a big ugly demon also. That actually wouldn't have surprised her, now that she thought about it. In the last two years, few of the guys who had liked her had turned out to be human.   
Danny had stopped a few feet away from her. She could see the pain in his eyes, the utter horror at what his cousin had told him. He was torn, she could tell. _Maybe that can work in my favor,_ she thought. They had been friends at one point. He had told her things, he had trusted her.  
"Tell me!" Danny yelled suddenly.  
"Hey!" Piper protested instinctively. She knew that she should have kept her mouth shut, but her mouth wasn't cooperating with her brain by that point. "Wait a minute. I didn't ask to be here for your little family session. So, I'm just gonna go, and you guys can work it out amongst yourselves."  
Piper waited for a moment and Danny did nothing. This was her chance to see just how much he had really cared about her. She reluctantly turned her back on him and started towards the stairs that led down from the stage. The only sound she heard was that of her own footsteps. But then he spoke finally. His voice had changed. It was cold and laced with evil.  
"You don't make the rules."  
Piper halted at the bottom of the stairs as a shiver ran through her body. She now had a straight shot to the double doors. She could make a run for it, she knew. But she was still a good hundred feet away. Piper glanced back up on the stage and looked at the two boys. Flynt was still grinning. But Danny looked different. His lips had curled into a nasty sneer and Piper was suddenly scared of him.  
"I make the rules," he said. "It's my party tonight. So tell me." He took a few steps forward until he was standing at the edge of the stage looking straight down at her. "Tell me now."  
Piper turned and ran, racing past the first few rows of seats. But as soon as she was halfway down the aisle she felt something hit her in the back. A sharp pain shot through her body and she screamed as she flew a few more feet down the aisle. She rolled; trying to catch her breath as the pain slowly subsided. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, she moved her head just enough so that she could see Danny. He held his hands out, lightning emanating from his fingertips. As she watched, he gestured back towards the plywood city. The lightning shot out and the munchkin village was blown into pieces, showering splinters all over the stage. Danny didn't even blink.  
"That's me at full power," he said. "You want to know how it feels?"  
"Danny." She pushed herself up with her arms, and then stood slowly, ignoring her body's protests. "Come on, I know you're a good kid. You've never hurt anyone before." Piper silently prayed that she was right. The truth was that she knew absolutely nothing about the boy. She was simply going on instincts. "What happened to your mom, that was a mistake. She was trying to kill this priest, your uncle, and then-"  
"It was you!" Danny's eyes were like fire now. "Piper, I trusted you. You were the only one!"  
"I know and I'm sorry," Piper said. Danny was so angry but still she could see the hurt, the terrible anguish of losing a parent so young. She knew how that felt and the fact that she could be the cause of so much pain made Piper want to die inside. "She was trying to hurt Phoebe. She thought we were evil, that we were with your uncle, and-"   
"My uncle?" Danny's voice betrayed his surprise. "My uncle and my mom didn't even know each other."  
"Your mom was good, Danny." Piper stepped forward. If she could just make him listen, then maybe she could save them both. "But your uncle, your cousin, they're demons. They're the evil she was fighting when she died!"  
"But you're the one who killed her." Danny's voice dropped a notch. Piper knew she had lost him. "They're the ones who helped me when I had no one else."  
Danny held his hand out towards her, then lifted it high into the air. As he did, Piper felt her feet leaving the ground. She glanced down and watched as the floor got farther and farther away. But Danny was getting closer as she moved towards the partially demolished set. Then he lowered his hand and she dropped down onto the stage next to him. Piper swallowed hard. There was so much power in this one little boy. But power mixed with anger, that was dangerous.  
"Show me," he said. "I want to know."  
"What do you mean?" Piper said. "Danny I can't just-"   
The lightning shot out and hit Piper square in the stomach. She shrieked and collapsed onto the stage a few feet in front of the curtain. For a minute, she fell into darkness and she lay there, wondering if she was going to die. But then her vision cleared and she blinked a few times, staring up into the stage lights. As she did, she saw her mom standing over her, an expression of sadness crossing her face. And then slowly her mother's image transformed and Piper found herself looking up at the witch she had killed. She was really there, Piper was sure of it. The ghost was going to stand there and watch her die. But she had that same sad look on her face as Piper stared up at her.  
"Faith," she whispered, still trying to catch her breath. Hearing her speak, Danny let loose with another lightning bolt. Piper curled up into a ball on the stage until it was over. Then she rolled onto her stomach and got to her knees, unable to stand. Every part of her body hurt, ached. The pain was so great and she gasped for air, trying to keep from passing out again.  
"Show me." Danny repeated. He reached out and pressed his palm against her forehead. And then there was a flash. It was like Piper had been transported back in time. Her mind was telling her, showing her the events of that night. Everything was so clear, like she was reliving it all over again. She silently wondered if this was what it was like to have premonitions. _Poor Phoebe,_ she thought, shivering as her mind replayed that horrible evening.  
She could hear the thunder outside, but she didn't know which storm she was hearing. Was it December or June? Piper could no longer tell one from the other. And then she was back standing next to Phoebe, watching Faith and the priest. Faith was stabbing the priest and Piper felt that wave of fear rushing through her. And then there she was, lifting Piper up off the ground, and then on to Phoebe. _No! _ Piper's mind was screaming. She didn't want to live through it again. But there she was holding the dagger. She could feel it gripped tightly in her hands. She could see the blood on it.  
Piper gasped as Danny finally let go of her. She felt nauseous and nearly fell over. But she caught herself with her hands and started to crawl towards the edge of the stage. Her body was getting weaker, it was failing her now, when she needed her strength most of all. She turned slowly, trying to freeze Danny. And for a few precious seconds, he was still. But then as if in slow motion he started to move again, to walk towards her.  
"You're getting stronger now," Flynt said. He came over and stood next to Danny pulling a knife out from under his cloak. He handed it over to the younger boy. "Even with your mortal blood, you can fight through her power. It's time for the test."  
"Danny, please." Piper stumbled to her feet, trying to back away. But if she went any farther she would fall off the stage. "You're not a demon, I know it. Your mother was good. She was trying to kill them."  
"Liar!" Danny said clutching the knife in one hand. "Why would I believe you?"  
"Danny, I didn't know..." Piper swallowed hard as her brain tried to shut down. Whatever Danny had done to her, it had managed to sap all of her strength. Her vision was starting to blur and she blinked, trying to get Danny's image to come back into focus.  
"It doesn't matter."  
"He's evil," Piper insisted. "Your uncle is evil. They're using you."  
"Do it Danny!" Flynt said. "She killed your mother! And she calls us evil?"  
"I liked you," Danny said. "I cast that spell for you." He lifted the dagger and pulled the blade across the skin of his palm. Piper watched as a thin line of blood appeared on his hand. She nearly threw up as she tried to step away again. But then he grabbed her wrist. She shook her head, trying to stop him. But already he'd forced her fingers open and cut her across the palm. Then he clasped her bloody hand in his own.  
Piper trembled as she closed her eyes. A flood of images moved through her mind and she felt like she was suffocating. There was Faith again, but she no longer saw her as the woman in the theater. Instead she was smiling, happy, holding her arms out to Piper. And then Piper saw herself in that witch costume, and then Jason, and Phoebe. She felt love, then anger, and then that terrible hurt. She was in Danny's mind, and he was in hers. They were connected somehow, and she could feel the evil invading her brain.  
And then the images came faster, too quickly for her to sort out. Piper tried to open her eyes, to pull herself back into reality. She knew that she needed to break the connection, to get away from Danny. She was losing herself in all of his thoughts. But she couldn't move. He had total control. Everything was coming too fast. And that pain, that horrible pain. Piper didn't know if it was coming from herself or from Danny. And then she saw her own mother smiling and laughing, and then the funeral. Grams stood over near the coffin, holding a small bouquet. There was Prue standing beside them. But then as she looked over at Prue she saw Edward instead. He looked down at her, his dark eyes staring straight into her soul.  
"I'll take care of you, Danny."  
The boundary between them was disappearing, and then it was gone. Piper screamed, her pain and fear overcoming her. Their minds had met somewhere, merging, mixing. And Piper was gone, lost somewhere between the two.   
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**It was her mother. Phoebe smiled as she saw her mom's face and felt her mother's arms around her, holding her up. And then as she glanced to the side she saw Prue, a much younger version of Prue running towards her, a little doll in her hand.  
"Here, Piper," she said. "You can have it now."   
"That was very nice of you, Prue." Her mother was saying. Phoebe felt a wave of contentment go through her as she took the doll from Prue, then hugged her mother more tightly. Her mom's hair brushed her face, and Phoebe could smell her perfume. She'd nearly forgotten that scent. But then as she pulled away she found herself staring straight into the eyes of Faith Evans.  
"Oh my god!" Phoebe snapped back to attention. She glanced out the window, then pressed her hand against the cool damp glass. The cold helped to clear her mind, to bring her back into the real world. She was still in Prue's car, still on the way to the theater. They hadn't found Piper yet.  
"What's wrong?" Prue took her eyes off the road just long enough to look over at her. Phoebe realized that her mouth was still open. But her vision had taken her by total surprise. "Another premonition? Was it about Piper?"  
"I don't know," Phoebe said, holding her head for a moment. What she had seen had been much more than a run of the mill premonition. "It was like, like I was seeing through Piper's eyes. I saw Mom and-and I saw you, only you were little."  
"Back to kids again," Prue groaned. "Great."  
"No, it wasn't about that, Prue." Phoebe shook her head. "It was like I was connected to Piper. But then suddenly I jumped into Danny's mind, and instead of Mom I saw Faith."   
"What?" Prue seemed just as confused as she was. "Now you're spying in people's thoughts?"  
"Hey, I don't choose what I see," Phoebe said. "And besides it was more than that. Something's happening to them Prue. I don't know what it is, but it's bad."  
"How bad?"  
"Seeing those things, living someone else's life, it's like losing your own identity," Phoebe explained. "And believe me, that doesn't feel good, especially when the other person has as much pain and rage as I got from Danny."  
"There wasn't anything in the Book of Shadows about this was there?" Prue said. She spun the wheel around as she took a left turn on yet another red light. "I mean did I skip the section on mind sharing?"  
"I don't know, but that few seconds I was in his mind, Prue, it hurt. And I'm not talking like, ouch, I fell down," Phoebe said.  
"I'm not following."  
"Well, remember how you felt when Mom died?"  
"Phoebe, I don't want to think about that right now."   
"Well just imagine that feeling only twenty times worse. Add anger and confusion and a huge amount of power and then you'll know."  
Prue bit her lip, and Phoebe knew she was considering that. Then suddenly the car jerked forward as Prue floored the gas pedal.**


	49. Chapter 48

**It was over. Piper lay there for a moment, probing her mind, searching for the foreign memories that had been there only moments before. But the floodgates that had opened between her and Danny had finally closed. She was Piper again, just Piper, and for that she was grateful.  
Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked up. She was laying on the stage once again, staring up at the bright lights above her. She squinted and held up her hands to shield herself from the terrible glare. But then Danny leaned over her, blocking the light from her eyes.  
"It's not over yet," Flynt said. "You haven't won. You still have to kill her."  
"Shut up!" Danny shouted, without looking at him. Flynt didn't say anything else. It seemed that he too was afraid of Danny now. But he had no need to be. Danny's attention was still focused on Piper. "Did you feel it?"  
Oh, she had felt it all right. He had pushed all of his pain right onto her. She wondered if he had gotten anything back in return. Had he seen her thoughts, her memories? Or had he managed to skip right over those in the interest of expedience? Did he know that she was good now, that his uncle was evil? And most importantly would he spare her? As Piper looked up into his steely gray eyes, she decided that the answer to all of those questions was no.  
"I already knew how it felt," Piper finally whispered, propping herself up. The mental pain was finally subsiding, but her physical pain certainly wasn't. She still felt sick to her stomach, and now her hand throbbed from the deep cut Danny had given her. She squeezed her hand into a fist, trying to stop the bleeding. "If you wanted your revenge then you got it."  
"Revenge wasn't all I got," Danny said. "I beat you. I'm the one left standing."  
"But she's still here."  
Piper turned her head slowly and saw Edward emerging from the wings. He came over and put his hand on Danny's shoulder, pushing him gently towards Piper.  
"Finish it and the prophecy comes true," he said. "You will lead us. You will be more powerful than anyone else. Kill her and you ascend to greatness."  
"Wait," Piper said slowly, trying to reason with the boy. "I know you heard that Danny. They're taking away who you are, that part of yourself that came from your mother. Is that what you want?"  
"You already took that from me."  
"If I die, then you become one of them," Piper insisted. "You'll be a demon; you'll undo all the good your mother did."  
"Kill her," Flynt said. "We are your family now. You belong with us."  
"And what happened to your dad, Danny?" Piper said quickly. She had no idea where she was going with this. But if she could just keep stalling, then maybe her sisters could get to her in time.  
"He was weak," Edward filled in for him. "But his son will make up for that." He looked down at Danny. "You will make up for your father's mistakes."  
"They killed him," Piper said. "Your uncle killed his own brother, your father, Danny."  
"But you murdered his mother," Edward said. He glanced down at Danny, tightening his grip on the boy's shoulder. "Do it now Danny, and you become one of us."  
"Yeah, big hairy demon, that's a great career choice. Lots of room for advancement..." Piper said weakly. "You don't get a normal life after that."  
"Maybe I don't want one." Danny held his hand out and Piper saw the lightning coming. Staggering to her feet, she dove for cover behind the plywood forest. She had lost Danny to them, and now she was about to lose her life to Danny. "Sorry, Piper." He certainly didn't sound sorry. "But you killed her. All I have left is them."  
_And just yesterday he was giving me the googley eyes,_ Piper thought. Now he was a demon. It was certainly dangerous being a guy in Piper's life. And right at that moment it was dangerous to be Piper. The lightning shot out over her head and Piper crouched down even farther. But she knew Danny was coming. She could hear his footsteps moving across the stage, slowly. But what was the hurry? They all knew she had nowhere to go. Nevertheless, Piper finally stood and took off running.  
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**Danny stood there for a moment and watched her go, slipping through the curtains towards the back stage. She wasn't moving at any great rate of speed and he knew it wouldn't be too hard to catch her. So he gave her those few seconds, he let her have the head start. Maybe the whole thing was a game, but he already knew what the outcome would be. He would win. He had already won actually. Now came the prize, the vengeance, the power. He would have them.  
"What are you waiting for?" Flynt demanded. Danny didn't say anything. He did not need to respond anymore. Instead he turned abruptly, throwing his hand out towards his cousin. He watched as the lightning crackled through the air, taking out the tree next to Flynt.  
"Danny!" Uncle Edward's voice rumbled above the sound of the storm. But Danny could barely hear him. His own thoughts were far too loud, too engrossing. He was already planning how to seek his revenge for his mother and the Vargo family he would now lead. Piper was going down. She was the one thing that stood in his way. And before the night was through she would be gone.  
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**Hearing the surges of energy, Piper ducked under one of the prop tables, covering her head with her hands as the curtain blew in behind her. Pieces of wood and fabric flew in all directions as she squeezed her eyes shut. Danny was on the move again.  
Piper took a deep breath, squinting around the backstage area. Over in the corner she could just see the stairway that led to the back room. It was the room she and Phoebe had entered that night. There was a door there, an exit. If she could just get to it, then she might have a shot.  
After waiting for the right moment, Piper finally made a mad dash for the stairs. She threw herself down the steps, nearly tripping over a bag of old costumes that someone had left at the bottom. The room was tiny, more like a closet, and it only took her a second to reach the door. Piper shoved her full weight against the heavy slab of wood, frantically turning the knob. But the door was locked.  
Piper whirled around, but Danny was already coming down the stairs. He was alone. Well, that at least improved the odds...but not by much.  
"Oh-" Piper said as he advanced towards her. "Danny, wait. You can't just-"  
She ducked as a bolt of electricity blasted across the room. Okay, reason certainly wasn't going to work. She needed to come up with another tactic, but that was if she survived long enough. And she wasn't so sure that she would.  
"Piper, just make it easier."  
"Make it easier for you to murder me? Not on the likely." Piper glanced around wildly, searching for any sort of shelter. "Now unfortunately I can't kill you-"  
"Why not?" he demanded. "You killed her."  
Piper saw him taking aim again. That flash of lightning... she'd felt it before and she certainly didn't want to feel it again. But it was the dagger that concerned her more. She was beginning to suspect that it held some deeper meaning in this ritual. The lightning was just for their fun. The dagger would be deadly.  
Piper leapt behind a bookcase, tipping it towards Danny as he took a step closer. It barely budged but a stack of oversized lollipops slid off the shelves with a clatter, burying the boy ankle deep in fake candy. He hardly seemed to notice. He was still coming at her and Piper slid up against the back of the shelves, eyeing the stairwell with desperation. She crawled a few feet towards it, then hit the floor again as the lightning whizzed by.  
"Piper?"  
Her eyes widened as she pushed herself up a few inches. That wasn't Danny's voice she had heard. She lifted her head just high enough to see over the lollipops then glanced around. Her mouth dropped open and she wanted to cry when she saw who it was.  
"Leo?"  
"Piper!" He had managed to orb in on the stairs just behind Danny. Now the young boy was standing in between them. Danny whirled around, his eyes seizing upon the whitelighter.  
"How did you…" Danny watched him, amazed at his sudden appearance. Piper took advantage of the convenient distraction and grabbed the broom in the corner. Gripping the bristled end in both hands she swung the handle at him. There was a cracking sound and Danny fell to the floor. Piper's breath caught in her throat as he lay there, unmoving.  
"Oh God." She leaned over Danny. "Did I…?"  
"He's fine, Piper." Leo grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs. "That'll just slow him down awhile."  
"Yeah well, I guess I had to do something good with that broom." Piper tossed it back to the ground as they went. "I was never much good at flying on it."  
Leo eyed her, confusion spreading across his face.  
"Never mind," Piper muttered, as they scrambled up the last of the stairs. Leo had a firm grip on her arm and she tried not to wince as he tugged on it, hurrying her along. "What are you doing here anyway?"  
"I thought you'd be happy to see me!" Leo said. He stopped for a second, surveying the area behind the curtain. On the back wall was a row of doors each leading to its own dressing room. Leo glanced over at them, then seemed to get a better idea. He started towards the hall that led to the stage wings. But already Piper had spotted Flynt coming in the opposite direction. Quickly, she threw open the nearest door before he could see them.  
"Well yeah- duh! Of course I'm happy to see you!" Piper whispered as she dragged Leo into the room. She brushed her hair back behind her ears as she closed the door and locked it. "But I would've been happy to see you ten minutes ago when I had an eleven year old invading my mind! What took you so long? What, was there traffic in the orbing lane?"  
"I got called away!" Leo said, trying to defend himself. But Piper wasn't ready to hear it. She'd been racing around, trying to dodge lightning strikes and he'd been off in whitelighter haven. "Piper, they needed to tell me about these Vargo demons. You've got a big problem here."  
"You realize this now?" Piper wanted to hit him. "I mean did this epiphany come before or after I was dragged out of the house by two of them?"  
"Piper, I'm sorry," he said. "You know I would have come sooner if I'd been able to."  
She stared at him for a moment, then leaned against the door with a sigh. Leo looked so concerned for her. And she could hardly be mad at him when he had just come to her rescue.  
"I know," she said finally "I'm sorry. I'm just- I'm a little frazzled here."  
"It's understandable," he said. "But this boy, once he changes, that's it. There's no going back. You'll have to vanquish him."  
"Well, he doesn't change unless I die," Piper said, turning her head towards him. "And I'm kind of trying to get around that right now. But unfortunately he started some kind of ritual. I think it increased his power- a lot."  
"Your sisters have the spell, Piper," Leo said. "But Danny's half demon. If he hears the spell he's gone."  
"So, if they say the spell, he has to be somewhere away from here?"  
"Far away," Leo said. "Or he'd better cover his ears. Otherwise you'll lose him. But since he's trying to kill you now, I'm not so sure it's a bad thing."  
"It's not his fault, Leo," Piper protested. "He can't help it. His uncle is the only family he's got left. And that's my fault."  
"Speaking of which," he said. "I've got some news. You know Faith, your ghost friend?"  
"She's kind of hard to forget."  
"Well she was actually trying to warn you about all of this."  
"Warn me? That whole tossing me into the basement thing?"  
"The demon was coming." Leo shrugged. Obviously he wasn't clear on all of the details. As usual he was just the messenger guy. "She was trying to protect you and Phoebe vanquished her- sort of."  
"Oh, well that's embarrassing."  
"Phoebe knows the whole story but-"  
"Can we go for the quickie summary here?" She swallowed, her hands starting to shake as she heard the faint sound of footsteps. As she looked around, she realized that they were in the prop room. There wasn't anywhere to hide really. Finally, Leo pulled her under one of the tables. They let the tablecloth fall down around them and Piper glanced over at him. She was certainly glad that she wasn't alone. But the reality was that she needed a spell. And Leo didn't have one.  
"All right," he said. "Here's what you need to know. Danny's father was a demon."  
"Knew that."  
"And he had to kill a witch to go through his transition."  
"Pretty much figured that one out on my own." Piper nodded, trying to get him to hurry along.  
"But he fell in love with her- that'd be where Faith comes in- and they made the perfect Vargo demon, half demon, half witch."  
"And that would be Danny." Piper heard the footsteps slow to a halt outside the door. But then they continued on. There were at least ten more doors down the hall. Their only hope was that this would be the last one he checked.  
"So let me guess." She dropped her voice to a whisper once more. "Edward comes along and kills his brother."  
"Exactly," Leo said. "Faith and Danny flee only to be found years later. Edward realizes Danny's powers and in turn realizes that Faith is training him to do good things. So he tries to get to Danny by disguising himself as their priest, spiritual guide or whatever."  
"Hoping, of course, that Faith won't catch on." Piper already had the rest figured out. "But she finds out and decides to vanquish him..." Piper let her voice trail off as she closed her eyes, feeling so very stupid. She had botched Faith's plan completely. "Only I got to her before she could get to him. I vanquished her, practically handing the kid over to the freaky fireball family."  
"You were following Phoebe's premonition."  
"Yeah, hey, what's up with that?" Piper's eyes flew open as she expressed annoyance. "Why have a vision if it's just going to lead to this mess?"  
"Maybe you mistook the message."  
"How the hell do you mistake a message with a witch killing a...oh," Piper stopped, wishing she had a wall to bang her head up against. Maybe then she could knock some sense into herself. It was so obvious. "We were supposed to help Faith." She pressed her lips together and glanced around, thinking about what could have been different. "We were supposed to vanquish them six months ago."  
"Piper, you couldn't have known."  
"Maybe, but it's no wonder her form of protecting was a little more vicious than most."  
"All right, well Prue and Phoebe should be here any minute," Leo said. "Then you can cast the spell."  
"Can't you just orb us on out of here now?" Piper asked, a small smile playing across her lips. "I would certainly appreciate the expedience."  
"Well, uh..." Leo fidgeted and looked down at his hands for a moment. "They've been a little strict about that lately-"  
"Don't you think they'd make exceptions for life and death situations?"  
"Maybe," he said. "I mean we can try."  
Leo didn't look too confident as he pulled her in towards him, wrapping his arms around her. Nevertheless, Piper closed her eyes and waited for that tingly feeling that came with orbing. Then, finally, she opened one eye and glanced around. They were still under the table. No tingly feeling, no orbing.  
"Okay fine, we'll just wait out the murderous demons," she muttered, letting go of Leo. The Powers That Be really had it out for her, she could already tell. Of course, she had managed to screw up some sort of grand plan by killing Faith Evans. If she'd just stayed out of it there'd be another good witch in ****San Francisco**** and Danny would be out of evil's hands. "You know you and Prue just come popping in, but you're really not doing me a whole lot of good."  
"You're bleeding." Leo glanced down at the stain on his shirt where she had touched him. Piper held out her hand and winced as she opened her fingers to show him her wound. She tried to avert her eyes as he examined it. Blood and she had never mixed well.  
"It's Danny's work."  
"It's part of the ritual," Leo said. He looked up at her, meeting her eyes with his own. "It's like a fight between good and evil. But it's mental, not physical. The Vargo demons rely on their minds. That's where their strength comes from."  
"Wait a minute, that was supposed to be a fight?" Piper frowned at the cut on her palm. "I didn't know there was a fight. That's unfair surprise." She tried to smile at Leo to make light of the situation. But already she was feeling a little queasy as she watched the blood running between her fingers. "I want a rematch."  
"Believe me, you don't," Leo said with major seriousness in his voice.  
"Well, I think I could take him this time," she mumbled. But Leo didn't seem to hear her.  
"Piper, I didn't know," he said finally. "I mean I knew there was a ritual, but I didn't know exactly how it'd go down." He held her bloody hand gently in his own, then tried to heal it. Piper wasn't exactly surprised when nothing happened and she slowly closed her fingers once more. "I should have gotten here sooner. Connecting like that is really dangerous."  
"Tell me about it," she said. "I saw everything, Leo, his mom, his family. And I could feel everything he'd felt, and let me tell you, that kid didn't feel a lot of good things."  
"You're lucky you even survived," he said. "Something like that, it can kill you."  
"And all I got was a cut, although I'm not feeling too lucky about that."  
"Okay, well it's time to get out of here." He pulled the table cloth up a few inches and peered out from under it. Then he let it drop as he reached back for her good hand.  
"You sure we're okay?" Piper swallowed hard, trying not to think about another encounter with evil's new wonder boy.  
"Yeah, come on," Leo said. He ducked out from under the table, then gently pulled her up beside him. Dizziness seized her as she straightened and Piper grabbed Leo's arm trying to steady herself. "What's the matter?"  
"Just dizzy. It's nothing." She shook her head, but that only made it worse. Piper waited there a moment, unmoving, until it finally passed. Then she abruptly let go of Leo, realizing that she'd left another mark on his shirt. "Oh God, I'm sorry."  
"No, Piper, it's okay," he said, grabbing her hand again as he gently tried to wipe the blood away. Piper bit her lip as the sting traveled up her arm. "It's really deep. That's probably why you're getting so dizzy."  
"Leo, I'm okay, really." She started to protest as he took off his flannel. Then, as she watched, he tore a long strip of fabric off of his sleeve and tied it tightly around her palm. Piper winced as it pressed down on her wound.  
"That better?" he asked.  
"Um-hmm," she lied as he led her over to the door. "What are you doing?"  
"We can't just stay in this room. We'll be sitting ducks."  
"But, as soon as we go out there we might as well have targets on our backs," Piper said. There were three demons waiting for them. And once the lightning bolts and fireballs started to fly, she knew they were dead. Well actually, she was dead. Leo was immortal. "Leo, we stay here and maybe Prue and Phoebe will find us."  
But he wasn't listening to her. Already he had the door opened a crack. Even as she tried to pull him back, he stuck his head out into the hall. Then he waved Piper along.  
"Coast is clear."  
"No, Leo, the coast isn't clear." Piper pulled back. She enjoyed sitting and hiding and waiting for her sisters. It sure beat getting taken down by a fireball. Sometimes being cautious was the best way to go. Unfortunately, Leo didn't seem to agree with her.  
"Now, Piper." He stepped back into the room, just long enough to push her out in front of him. But Piper had no idea where they were going. They were still backstage, with the curtain in front of them. But as they started towards the side area, a fireball flew past Piper, mere inches from her nose. It hit the wall behind them and the wood paneling burst into flames.  
"I found them," Flynt said. He was standing on top of a prop table a fireball in one hand. Still in his human form, he stared at them, a nasty grin on his face.  
"Wait-" Piper paused, letting her brain catch up with the words that were about to come out of her mouth. She had to make sure she was right. Her next move would determine whether she could get out of here, or whether she'd end up dying a fiery death. "You can't kill me." But the moment she said it her suspicions were confirmed by the look on his face. "Danny has to do it, otherwise it won't work. Am I right?" Flynt stayed silent and Piper smiled. "I am so right."  
She took a few steps forward and Flynt let a fireball fly. But this time he was way off the mark, and she knew he was missing on purpose, trying to scare her. _He's doing a good job,_ Piper thought,_ just not good enough._  
"Piper, what are you doing?" Leo asked as she walked towards Flynt. "He can fry you with a gesture!"  
"But he won't." Piper winced a little as another fireball flew by. She hoped that she was making the right assumption. "Danny needs to kill me. If he does it first, they can say hasta lavista to their new demon."  
"Danny!" Flynt glanced around without moving. He was going to guard them until the younger boy came back. "Danny, come claim your victory."  
"Okay, that'd be our cue to leave-now." Leo dragged Piper in the opposite direction towards the other side of the building. She didn't even protest as he pulled her part way onto the stage and they ducked behind the wings. Thanks to Flynt's overeager fireball throwing, the whole backstage area was filling with smoke. Piper held her hand over her mouth, trying not to cough as they huddled there. As she watched with dismay, she noticed that the curtain was starting to smolder. The entire backstage would be engulfed within minutes.  
"If he can't kill you, don't think I won't." Flynt had circled back around and was now on the other side of the stage directly across from where they were hiding. Piper pulled back towards the side aisle and flattened herself against a piece of the set. She looked over at Leo and their eyes met.  
"Danny's still back there," she whispered, nodding towards the backstage. He would be trapped in that little room between the fire and the locked door. "We have to go back for him."  
"Piper-"  
"If I can connect with him again, then maybe I can make him see what Edward told me," Piper said. "Then he'd know the truth."  
"You can't do that. It nearly drained you the first time."  
"But I'm fine now!" Piper protested. There was no other way to bring Danny back to their side. He wouldn't believe her unless he saw it for himself. If she could make their connection go the other way, then she had a chance. "Leo, I have to do this, which means we have to go back for him."  
"No, it's too dangerous." Leo shook his head. "You can't connect with him unless you get close enough to touch. You do that and he'll kill you."  
"Maybe," Piper said. She didn't have time to think over all of the problems with her plan. And Leo certainly wasn't offering up any solutions. "But we still have to get him out of there. We can't let him burn to death."  
"He's probably already out."  
"I hit him pretty hard, Leo," Piper said. "I already let his mom die. I'm not going to kill him too." She was about to push past him and make a run for the backstage, when he stopped her.  
"Wait. If we're going to do this, let's do it the right way." He gently pushed her back against the set. "You stay here and I'll orb back and get him if I have too."  
"Leo-"  
"There's no way for you to get back through that fire," Leo said. And as Piper glanced back down the aisle, she knew he was right. "You'll stay here?" She nodded finally and he leaned over to kiss her gently on the forehead. "Don't move. I'll be back."  
"I'll be here," she said quietly as he disappeared. As soon as his light faded, she realized that she'd made a mistake. The smoke was getting to her more, but she knew that if she coughed she'd alert at least one of the demons who were tracking her. And now that she was alone, fear was beginning to seize her. Her eyes started to water as the smoke made them burn and her entire body shook as she tried to hold herself together. Slowly, she looked down at her hand. The blood was already soaking through Leo's shirt and she hesitantly unwrapped it. She wasn't going to lose Danny, not like this anyway.  
"Piper."  
She gasped as she glanced up and saw Edward standing over her. The fire was reflecting in his dark eyes, making him look even more terrifying. Piper shrunk back, trying to get out of his way. But he leaned over, pressing his palms on the plywood set she was leaning against. He had one hand on either side of her head so that she was trapped in between them.  
"So nice of you to join us."**


	50. Chapter 49

**"Is that it?" Phoebe pointed out the rain streaked window. She could just make out a slightly blurry looking steeple in the darkness. And nearby was the theater she remembered. She'd only been there once, but it wasn't something she could ever forget. And as she peered through the rain, she could see smoke starting to billow from the small building. "Oh-oh fire demon at two o'clock!"  
"It's on fire?" Prue hit the brakes as they pulled up next to the church. "Whatever happened to the normal, simple vanquishings?"  
"Simple vanquishings?" Phoebe turned to stare at her sister as they both undid their seat belts. "Where've you been?"  
"Okay fine, but could we at least have a better setting?" Prue threw open her door and jumped out into the rain. Phoebe quickly followed and they raced down the walkway, running straight through the puddles in front of them. "A fiery inferno does tend to add complications."  
"Well, let's just hope it hasn't reached inferno status yet," Phoebe muttered. So far the front of the theater looked okay. And as they ran under the overhang Phoebe was certainly thankful for that. And if Piper was still alive at the end of the evening she'd be ready to call it a victory.  
"Okay, we ready for this?" Prue grabbed the handle of one of the theater's double doors. "There are at least three demons in there."  
"One for each of us." Phoebe nodded. "It's not the best ratio, but I'll take it."  
"Have the spell?"  
"Yep." Phoebe felt around in her pocket just to be sure. It was a little damp, but it was still there, and that's all she needed to know. "All right, so we say the spell, they do the whole disappearing or catching fire, or whatever it is they do. And then we go home and party. Ice cream for everyone."  
"It's a plan." Prue turned the handle and cautiously pulled the door open. She winced at the long squeal it made. But she really didn't need to worry, because the sound was quickly masked by the crackling of the fire within.  
Phoebe gasped as she stared down the long aisle to the stage. The back curtain of the theater had been burned right through in parts. There were huge holes that would've allowed her to see straight through to the backstage if it hadn't also been covered in flames. The front half of the theater where the seats were was still intact, but it was slowly filling with smoke.  
Prue grabbed her hand and together they ducked under the haze as they made their way to one corner of the building. They hadn't taken more than a few steps though when Phoebe glanced up onto the stage. She squeezed her sister's fingers and pulled her to a halt.  
"Piper," she whispered, nodding towards the stage. She saw Prue peer through the smoke and then her eyes widened. She too had spotted their sister. Edward was right there with her, standing behind her, one hand clamped tightly on her arm. "She's okay," Phoebe said, breathing a sigh of relief.  
"Yeah, but she won't be for long."  
"Danny!" Edward's voice seemed somehow to be amplified as he yelled through the theater. It sounded different to Phoebe, demonic, certainly not human. "Danny, come! It is time!"  
Phoebe watched as her sister struggled to get away. But Piper's efforts were futile. She was a good hundred feet away at least, but Phoebe could see that she was tired, weakened. She wasn't going to be able to escape on her own. Reaching into her pocket, Phoebe pulled out the spell and hastily unfolded it.  
"Danny! Do not disappoint me!"  
And then, just as Prue was turning to read the spell with her, everything changed.  
The air was suddenly charged and Phoebe dragged Prue to the floor as bolts of lightning shot all through the room. She lifted her head a little, just enough to see over one of the seats. Danny had appeared on the stage, along with Flynt. They stood there with Edward and Piper, the fire behind them, and the lightning shooting out and then swirling up around them. Phoebe gasped at the sight. The four of them were in the middle of a huge cyclone of flames and electricity. Feeling the heat on her face, Phoebe ducked back behind the chair, then looked over at her sister with frightened eyes.  
"What the hell is that?"  
"I don't know," Prue said. "But I think it might be time for that spell now."  
Phoebe swallowed hard, but didn't start reading just yet. Somehow she had a feeling that their one little spell wasn't going to stop whatever was occurring on that stage. She crawled behind the row of chairs, then stuck her head out into the aisle. Instantly, a hot wind blew her hair back, and she watched Danny in a mixture of terror and fascination. As the boy lifted his hands everything on the stage flew up into the cyclone, caught up in its circular forces. Somehow Piper and the demons were left on the stage, apparently unaffected. But the props and sets broke up in the air, and then as Phoebe rolled her eyes up to the ceiling, she saw something horrifying. A section of the ceiling above her and Prue was being thrust upwards. Already Phoebe could spot the cracks in the plaster.  
"Prue!" she shouted, but her voice hardly carried over the roar of the cyclone. Hearing a crumbling sound from above, she turned and dove on top of her older sister, forcing them both to the floor. Phoebe could feel bits of wood and plaster falling down around them, only to be sucked up by the air. But now the rain was pouring down on top of them also, as the sound of thunder mixed with the screaming wind. "Prue?" Phoebe lifted her head a little, trying to wipe the stinging rain from her face. "You okay?"  
"No." Prue got to her knees. "Is that boy- that Danny kid- is he causing all this?"  
"I think so." Phoebe nodded to make her point all the more clear. She turned to look back at the stage in the midst of the swirling debris. The side and back walls were completely engulfed in the flames that the wind was now fanning. And since the ceiling above that half of the building was still intact, the rain was having no affect on the fire.  
"That is enough, Danny!" Edward's voice somehow carried. "It is time to end this!"  
Just like that, the winds stopped and everything fell to the floor. Prue and Phoebe threw their hands over their heads as bits and pieces of ceiling and props crashed down around them. And then everything fell silent. Only a few distant claps of thunder could be heard. Phoebe shivered as the rain pelted down on the back of her neck. Then finally she lifted her head just in time to see Leo appearing.  
"What happened?" he asked immediately, crouching down next to them. "I went looking for Danny, but-"  
"He's up there." Phoebe wiped the rain off of her face as she pointed towards the stage. Together they peered over the back row of chairs. "We were going to say the spell but then-"  
"You can't, not yet anyway," Leo said as Prue crawled up beside them. "You say it and you'll destroy him. He still has a chance to be good."  
"Tell that to what's left of this theater," Prue mumbled.  
"This was his work?"  
"Yeah," Phoebe said, pushing her wet hair behind her ears. "Between him and his ghostly mother, we're lucky that the whole city hasn't been leveled. Someone must have really pissed him off."  
"I hate to say this, but I think that someone was Piper."  
**

**"I'm ready," Danny said as he stood before Piper. She was shaking as his Uncle held her there, but Danny didn't care. He held no sympathy for her now. The memories of his earlier feelings for her made his stomach turn. She was his mother's killer. She was the one thing standing in the way of his transition, his ascension to the next level. Everything before that night, before the ceremony was forgotten. Nothing else mattered now, except for what she had done, what she had taken from him.  
"Then do it, Danny. Become one of us."  
"You don't have to," Piper said weakly, her voice barely above a whisper. Danny only glared at her, feeling his anger rise as she continued. "Do you really think this is what your mom would've-" She stopped short and gasped as the lightning shot out at her. That would teach her to talk about his mother.  
Glancing around, Danny took in their fiery surroundings. He lifted his hands and smiled as the flames jumped ten feet higher. Even the ceiling was burning above them. Soon it would fall in, collapsing on top of them to let in the rain. The power of the evening, the fire, the rain, it entranced him. And for just one moment he stood there, letting it all sink in.  
Then finally his eyes snapped back to Piper. She was trying to hide her fear, he could tell. But she was failing miserably. She's scared of dying, he thought. She's scared of me. And now it was time to decide how she should die. His power, he was tempted to use it. Now that he was stronger, using what had been given to him was all the more exhilarating. But the dagger they had given him, that was the tradition. That was the prophecy.  
Danny reached inside the large pocket of his cloak, feeling the cool blade of the dagger touch his hand. It still had his blood on it, Piper's too. It would be best to finish this in the same way he had started it. He grabbed the handle in his good hand, clenching it so tightly that the carvings dug into his skin. Then he pulled it out, feeling some amount of satisfaction at the look of dread on Piper's face.  
This would be the end for her. But for Danny, it was just the beginning.  
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**"All right, that's it," Phoebe said as she watched the scene unfold with worried eyes. Once upon a time Danny had been cute and sweet. But that time had long since passed. "I don't care if that kid rots in some demonic grave. We're not going to let him kill Piper just to save his sorry soul."  
"Phoebe-" Prue started, but Phoebe cut her off before she could get any farther.  
"I don't care if he's the innocent we're supposed to protect!" Phoebe said as she looked over the spell she still held. She needed to make her sister see. Sometimes there were more important things to think about. "We won't be able to protect anyone without Piper. And I'm not willing to sacrifice her just to keep up a good track record. This is it, Prue. Someone's gonna have to die."  
"Maybe not," Prue was talking to her, but she kept a wary eye on the stage. "If Leo and I can get up there then we might be able to save them both."  
"How are-" Phoebe stopped short, realizing the answer before she could finish. "Okay, go- hurry."  
"You stay here with the spell," Leo said quickly. "If we fail, then-"  
"I'll chant all of them right into hell." Phoebe nodded. "I have no problems with that."  
**

**Piper could see Flynt off to her right and could feel Edward's hand pressing into her arm. She wanted to scream for Leo, to ask what was taking so long. Obviously he hadn't found Danny, so he should have returned to her. But Piper stayed silent, worried about angering Danny any more than she already had.  
The smoke was becoming thicker and she tried not to choke on it as Danny approached her. He held up the dagger that still dripped with her blood, and Piper felt tears stinging the back of her eyes. She wasn't sure if they were because of the smoke or her fear. It didn't seem to matter much.  
"Say goodbye, Piper," he said, his voice dropping down to a whisper. He swung the blade at her and Piper scrunched her eyes shut. But the blade never touched her, and when she opened her eyes she saw Prue standing not ten feet away. And then Leo appeared on her other side.  
"Look out!" Piper yelled as Edward released her and swung around towards them. But already Prue had sent him flying with a surprisingly well placed kick. Then she turned to face off with Flynt. Danny whirled around to help his cousin, as Leo held his hand out to Piper.  
"Come on," he said quickly, grabbing for her. But Piper stepped back, shaking her head. Now was the time, she knew. It was the only chance she was ever going to get to make things right. She glanced down at her bloody hand, then grabbed Danny's shoulder, spinning him back around to face her.  
"Piper, no!" she heard Leo yell. But it was too late for him to interfere, as Piper clasped Danny's hand in her own. The world around her, the flames, the people, they all disappeared, dissolving into darkness. A mass of images swam through Piper's head, threatening to overwhelm her. Danny was resisting her attempts to make him see, to make him understand the truth. He didn't want to know.  
In the outside world, Piper knew there was chaos. She could feel the heat of the fire on her skin, hear the shouting and commotion as Prue fought off the two demons. But she pushed it all out as she concentrated on remembering what Edward had told her. She could see it then, his face changing, transforming. She could hear what he had said about Faith, the tone of his voice as he revealed the truth. And then there was Flynt in his demonic form, his hellish eyes trained on Piper.  
Piper could feel Danny right there with her, his mind yelling, pleading with her to stop. She was showing him the darkest side of his family, destroying the one thing he had left. Piper backed off just a little, letting the images in her mind slow. But in doing so Danny managed to reverse the connection, and his hurt, his terror engulfed Piper. She screamed, trying to push him out of her mind, but now that she had allowed him in, there was no getting him out. He was releasing all of his anger, his pain, his fury straight into Piper. She was dying, drowning in the feelings she had helped to create.  
**

**"Leo!" Prue dropped to the floor as Flynt released yet another fireball in her direction. Prue's eyes went straight to Danny and Piper who stood in the center of the stage, their hands clasped together. They seemed to be emitting an energy that caused the air around them to crackle. A huge bolt of lightning suddenly shot up towards the ceiling. The wood and plaster above them exploded as the bolt continued up into the night sky, never disappearing. They seemed to be feeding off of the storm.  
"What is he doing to her?" Prue whirled around to look at Leo. But the whitelighter was busying tackling Edward, trying to keep him away from Piper and Danny. Prue glanced around, trying to spot Flynt through the thick smoke. But it was as if he had disappeared. Prue shivered, even though she was anything but cold. She could barely see in front of her now, and she spun around, trying to ready for another attack.  
"Leo!" she yelled again, but now even he had disappeared. Prue coughed, choking, as the smoke filled her lungs. She tried to duck down lower and then finally gave in. She felt a familiar tingle and closed her eyes. When she opened them again she was crouched down next to Phoebe at the back of the theater. She took a deep breath, feeling the cool rain on her face. The stage seemed so far away as she turned to look back at it.  
"What the hell happened up there?" Phoebe demanded. "Where's Piper?"  
"I-I don't know," Prue said quickly. "She and Danny, they-he did something to her. It's like they're in a trance or something. They're generating this amazing power!"  
"All right." Phoebe grabbed her arm and pulled her out to the aisle. "We've got to do something." She dragged her sister down to the stage, but Prue pulled her back as the smoke spread out towards them.  
"Just read the spell," she said, remembering the hellish conditions up on the stage. "Just do it from here."  
Phoebe nodded and tried to unfold the soaked piece of paper. It tore a little as she held it in her shaky hands, then leaned forward trying to discern the smeared words on the page. Together she and Prue started to read, their voices getting louder as the thunder crashed above them. Prue squinted in the rain as she shouted out the spell, her eyes drawn to the lightning shooting into the sky. And then as they kept chanting, the wind kicked up again and the smoke was sucked up into the clouds. Prue could see Leo once more. He was up on the stage and had the fireball boy pinned to the ground. As she watched, he grabbed the dagger she had given him and jammed it deep into the demon's chest.  
Prue winced and resisted the urge to close her eyes as the demon reverted to its true form, letting out a vicious howl. Then it disintegrated and was blown away by the wind. Prue glanced around, continuing to chant with Phoebe. She could see Edward over in the corner, slowly transforming. He growled and lunged at Leo, but Prue threw out her hand and shoved him back against the fiery curtain. He screamed and tossed himself onto the ground, putting out the flames that had nearly engulfed him. Prue sighed with relief. At least the demons seemed to be weakening, becoming more and more susceptible to their powers. But that wasn't going to help her sister.  
"It's not working!" Leo turned back to look at them.  
"He's right," Phoebe said. "Something's wrong. Danny's too powerful now."  
"There has to be some way," Prue said, eyeing her sister and Danny. The color was slowly draining from Piper's face and Prue knew that whatever was happening was hurting her, maybe even killing her. Prue glanced over at Phoebe, then started down the aisle, grabbing the chairs to steady herself against the wind. She could hear Phoebe following behind her.  
"Piper!" Prue yelled as she crawled up the stairs. Once on the stage, she managed to get to her feet with Leo's help. Then she turned to help Phoebe, and they stood there, watching Danny and their sister.  
"If he wins, he'll finish the transformation!" Leo shouted. "And we'll lose Piper forever."  
"So what do we do?" Phoebe asked, the wind whipping her hair into her eyes. Both sisters glanced over at Leo, but he didn't seem to have any answers. Even Edward was holding back, standing on the other side of the stage. The fire still blazed around them, but the smoke was less dense as it was pulled up and out of the theater.  
"We've got to stop this!" Prue pushed past Leo, running towards Piper. She was determined to save her sister, at whatever cost.  
"Prue, wait!" Leo tried to stop her, but already Prue was reaching out to pull Piper away. The moment she touched her sister's skin, a shock went through Prue, knocking her back into the whitelighter.  
"Prue!" Phoebe rushed over to her. "Are you okay?"  
"Yeah." Prue nodded as Phoebe and Leo helped her up. "Okay, what just happened?"  
"Their connection, it's impenetrable," Leo said as he cast a sideways glance towards Piper and Danny. "There's nothing we can do for them now. They're the only ones who can stop it."  
**

**"Piper!" she could hear Danny yelling to her, but his voice sounded far away. Her entire body felt numb, and the images that were swirling through her brain were quickly getting pushed out by darkness. Piper fought through it, trying to hold the connection. Even if they could stop the demons, Danny had to know the truth. He had to understand why his uncle needed to be destroyed, and what his mother had tried to do. Piper owed him that much.  
"Piper, stop!" she heard him say. She saw Edward's face again, saw Faith going after him. Then she saw her own mother, then Danny, then Flynt, then her sisters when they had been young. Everything was going so fast and the darkness was pushing through it all. Things were mixing, the different events in her life and in his. But he had to know, to see that she understood what it was like to lose family. Faith's image kept melding with her mother's, and Piper saw Faith dying again. She knew she was losing control. She didn't want to see what her mind was showing them. It hurt, having her most painful memories replayed over and over. But there was no way to stop it.  
"Piper!" Danny sounded as if he was crying now. His voice shook, and she knew he was desperate. But as their minds connected the hatred wasn't there any more. All that was left was sadness and fear, fear for her. He was worried about her now. Gone were his murderous intentions and his wish to join his uncle. His mind was fighting off the demonic half. Piper was getting through, but she knew that their connection was coming at a terrible cost. "Let go!" he was yelling. "You have to let go!"  
His voice was fading and the darkness was everywhere. She tried to let go, to reinstate that border between their minds. But she couldn't find the boundary that they had started with. Danny was screaming at her now but his words were slurring together and she couldn't understand him. She concentrated on their hands, on breaking the physical connection. She could feel her fingers clasped tightly around his. And then she finally let go.  
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**Danny could feel it, her mind disappearing from his. He didn't even wait for reality to set in. He whirled around, knowing exactly where his uncle would be. He had seen everything that Piper had wanted to show him. It was all there now, locked forever in his memory. Uncle Edward had tried to kill his mom. He was at the start of this all.  
"Danny, no!"  
His uncle's face came into focus as Danny opened his eyes. But it wasn't the human face that he'd known, had seen everyday for the past six months. It was the face Piper had shown to him in his mind. The hellish eyes were trained on Danny now.  
"I am your family!" he yelled. "You are part of us!"  
"I am not your family," Danny said, raising his arm towards his uncle. But as he did, Edward rushed towards Prue. A dagger materialized in his hand and he grabbed her, pulling the blade up to her neck.  
"Prue!" Phoebe yelled her sister's name, but didn't move any closer. Danny stared as his uncle, holding his breath. He couldn't kill Prue. He couldn't kill anyone. He knew that now. Piper had collapsed in front of him and her face was an ashen color as she lay on the stage. His uncle had caused all of this and it was time for it to end.  
"Danny, you decide," he said. "Are you willing to kill her in order to destroy me?"  
Danny could feel the pressure of everyone's gaze. Even now, after he'd turned on his uncle, he still had the power. It still belonged to him.  
"Time to find out." Danny closed his eyes and opened his fist, feeling his power surge through him. The lightning shot through the air, straight at his uncle and Prue. **

**K guys, got like three/ four chapters left- make it count.**


	51. Chapter 50

**Phoebe brought her hands to her face as the lightning engulfed Prue and Edward. The demon screamed, releasing Prue as he stumbled towards the edge of the stage. One more step and he was falling into the orchestra pit. But his body disintegrated, catching fire and burning before it could touch the ground. Phoebe ran over and watched as a tiny cloud of ash hit the floor. Her mouth fell open and she glanced over at Prue.  
"You okay?"  
Prue didn't say anything. She was holding her hands out in front of her, staring at them in fascination. Phoebe walked over to her and touched her shoulder gently.  
"Prue?"  
"I'm okay," she said, her confusion obvious. "I don't know why I'm okay, but.."  
"I wouldn't hurt you." They both turned to see Danny standing there, watching them. "I can't hurt you if I don't want to. I only wanted him."  
"And for that I am glad," Prue muttered.  
"Piper."  
Prue whirled around and saw Leo kneeling next to her. Phoebe ran over and slid in beside him, grabbing for Piper's hand. She shook it, then reached over and touched her sister's face, patting it gently.  
"Piper?" Phoebe said. She turned and looked up at Prue who was standing above her. "She's alive, Prue. But.."  
"I'll call 911."  
"Don't bother," Leo said. "They can't do anything for her."  
"Well, you can," Phoebe said quickly. "You saved me. You've saved her."  
"She's not hurt," Leo said. "Not physically. I can't heal her if she's not hurt."  
"I'm sorry," Danny said. Phoebe could see tears in the boy's eyes as he leaned down next to them. "I didn't mean to hurt her. She just- I didn't know she would be here."  
"She saved you," Leo said. qqqqqPhoebe could hear the anger in his voice. She'd never heard him mad at an innocent before, certainly not at a child. He held Piper's bloody hand tightly in his own, and Phoebe watched as the wound finally disappeared. "She was meant to help you."  
"Well then, there must be some way that we can help her," Phoebe said, trying to keep her voice steady. "I mean all of this, this wouldn't have happened if this was how it was going to end."  
"Piper." Prue shook her as she lay there. "Piper, come on. I know you can hear me. Leo, she's dying!"  
"Prue, stop it!" Phoebe said. "Piper's not going to die."  
Leo pulled Piper up into his arms and cradled her there, holding her tightly. Phoebe's heart went out to the whitelighter. She felt so helpless now, she could only imagine how he must feel. His power, the same power that had saved Phoebe only hours before, was failing him when he needed it most.  
"We'll figure out something," he said, his voice was quiet and eerily calm.  
"But Leo-" Prue started.  
"No!" his voice rose. "There's a way. There's always a way. She'll be fine."  
Phoebe watched her sister and waited. Piper was still breathing, but barely. Other than that she looked like she was sleeping, almost peaceful. Phoebe reached out and touched her sister's damp forehead.  
"God, Leo she's burning up." Phoebe glanced around at their surroundings. The theater was pretty much gutted. When the connection had been broken, the swirling debris had fallen, all but burying the stage. The fires had disappeared, leaving long streaks of soot on everything. The walls around the stage had been burnt almost all the way through, and the ceiling above them had nearly caved in. The seating area was even worse off, partially flooded under the falling rains. Aside from the storm, everything was strangely silent.  
"It's because of the connection," Danny said. "I felt it. She just…"  
"You drained her," Leo said. "The good in her, she gave it to you to save you from the evil you were fighting."  
"Can't I give it back?" Danny asked desperately, pushing in next to Phoebe. She could feel the boy shaking beside her as he looked Piper over. "She saved me, I felt it. I didn't mean to hurt her."  
"We have to get her out of here."  
"Come on," Prue said helping Phoebe to her feet. Leo stood slowly, still holding Piper in his arms. "We'll take her home. Maybe we can find something in the Book of Shadows."  
They started to walk off the stage, but Phoebe turned around, remembering Danny. He stood there, tears running down his cheeks, and then suddenly he spun around towards the curtain. He angrily threw out his hands and the lightning appeared, engulfing everything behind them. The half destroyed curtain blew in and Phoebe watched as the backstage area, all of the tables and rooms, exploded into a huge ball of fire. Phoebe held her hands up, shielding her eyes against the fresh wall of flames. And then Danny turned around to face her, silhouetted against all the fiery destruction.  
"There," he said. "It's done. I won't use them anymore, not ever."  
"Come on." Phoebe held her hand out to the boy. He slowly walked over and took it. Then they followed Leo and Prue off the stage.  
**

**Faith remained there, watching it all. She'd been there since the beginning. It felt like forever, like an eternity had passed. The theater, her theater, that's where it had started. And as she stood on the stage amongst the fiery ruin, she knew that that's where it would end. The sisters had lived up to their calling, to their powers. They had saved her son. As much as she had hated them in the past, she felt a wave of gratitude wash over her. She'd spoken of forgiveness to Phoebe, but the truth was, it had always eluded her. Even while trying to help the sisters, she'd been angry, for what they had and for what she had lost. But now that forgiveness was there, she could feel it.  
She stared down the long aisle, peering through the haze at the retreating figures. She saw Danny, his hand clasped tightly in Phoebe's. He would be safe now. His supernatural gifts were gone, revoked by whatever power had first granted them. The evil she had set out to vanquish had been destroyed.  
But in the back of her mind, Faith couldn't help but see Piper. She knew the girl's condition was grave, that she could easily die. Faith, better than anyone, realized the power of the Vargo demons. She had warned them, had tried to tell them. But still, she knew it hadn't been enough. It hadn't been nearly enough. She'd held back, allowing her own pain and anger to filter her message.  
Faith knelt down on the stage trying to touch the place where Piper had fallen. It was the same place that she herself had gone down. The mighty circle was closing, allowing history to repeat itself. If Piper died that night, then the demons would win anyway. One more witch would be dead and the power of three would be broken. **

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**"There's nothing," Prue said with disgust. She slammed the covers of the heavy volume together then set it back down on the kitchen table. "The Book of Shadows has zip on this connection thing."  
"What about the Awakening spell?" Phoebe said as she leaned forward in her chair. "We've used it on her before."  
"Yeah, and it didn't work remember?" Prue held her face in her hands, then ran her fingers through her hair, eyeing her sister. "We had to reverse it. We basically killed Piper. And then we had Leo to save her."  
"Well what if I write a spell?"  
Prue shook her head quickly, then sighed in frustration. There had to be some way, something they weren't seeing.  
"Prue, I could do it. That spell on Faith, it worked. I know I could do one for Piper."  
"Phoebe, stop!" Prue suddenly shouted. "You wrote that spell as a kid and it only vanquished her out of one room!"  
"Well, it sort of worked." Phoebe's voice dropped as she shrunk back, crossing her arms. Prue knew she was only trying to help. But Prue had been through all of the magical ways in her mind. There was no supernatural solution to this one. The Powers That Be were failing them big time. First, they'd let Faith die, now Piper was about to meet the same fate.  
"Look, I didn't mean that," Prue said finally. "It's just we've been running around here, acting like kids-"  
"We were kids," Phoebe reminded her.  
"Yeah, I know. And Piper took care of us," Prue said. "And now that it's our turn to take care of her, there's nothing. We've got nothing here. All of our stupid magic, the Book, none of it's helping."  
"Prue, come on..."  
"No, Phoebe, no." Prue shook her head. "This isn't the time for a Wiccan pep rally. Our magic got us into this but it can't get us out."  
"Don't blame your magic for this, Prue." She turned around and saw Leo standing there in the doorway. His eyes were red and she could tell he'd been crying. "Piper chose to help Danny. She knew the consequences."  
"She was willing to make that sacrifice," Prue said. "But I'm certainly not. We figure something out, and we do it now."  
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**Danny stood at the top of the stairs, leaning over the banister. He could hear their voices, their fear and worry, as they discussed Piper's condition. Danny closed his eyes, gripping the wooden railing in both of his hands. Then he abruptly let go as he saw the small spot of blood that he'd left on the wood. He'd nearly forgotten about the cut on his palm.  
Danny bit his lip, trying to take a deep breath. Everything had fallen apart. He didn't know what to believe anymore. He was truly an orphan now. He had killed off most of his family. He could still see his uncle as the lightning engulfed him, those demon eyes staring straight into Danny. The boy shivered, wondering if that's what he would've looked like had he killed Piper. And if Piper died tonight, would he still become that demon? No, he decided. That was over.  
Glancing back down the stairs, Danny checked to make sure that no one was coming. When he knew that he was alone, he crept down the hall and slowly pushed open the door to Piper's room. She lay there on the bed unmoving. Someone had thrown a blanket over her, and her head was propped up on a pillow. Danny stepped over to the bed and sat down on it.  
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't know. I wouldn't have killed you." But he knew that he was lying to himself and to her. If she hadn't taken the risk, shown him the truth, then he would've turned into a demon. He would have sold his soul over to the evil his mother had fought. It didn't matter what Piper had done. All of the fault lay squarely on his uncle's demonic shoulders. He had started this, but the ending still seemed so uncertain.  
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**Faith stared up at the ceiling, knowing that somewhere up there, someone had the power that she so desperately needed now, the power of life. And they owed it to her, to Piper, to everyone who had been hurt in this horrible mess. Her life had been stolen away from her, and now she wanted it back, if only to give it to somebody else. She would not let Piper die. If there was a greater plan, this could not be it.  
With one hand she reached out and touched Danny. She nearly jumped when her hand didn't go through him. But her shock quickly vanished and she pressed her palm against his back. Then as she looked back up at the ceiling she saw that it was melting away. There was a burst of light that suddenly filled the room.  
Faith could feel the energy surging into her and then into Danny, her son, who was more powerful than she had ever imagined. He could make the connection, he could take the good in a person and nearly destroy her. But he could also give it back if given the opportunity. And the opportunity had arrived. The Powers That Be would fix this mistake and she'd be only too happy to help them. She could channel their gift into the son she had nearly lost. And Danny could pass it on, giving it to the person who needed it most.  
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**"Piper?" Danny reached out and touched her arm, waiting for her to open her eyes. They could have destroyed the demons without making the connection, but she'd done it anyway, to let him know the truth about his mother. "Piper, wake up!"  
He shook her harder this time, grabbing her arm with both of his hands. Too late he remembered the cut on his palm. As soon as his blood touched her all of his hair stood on end. He jumped back with a gasp, pulling his hands away. But already something was happening. Danny closed his eyes, trying to breathe, trying to push away his panic. He was losing control and he could feel the wind, that terrible wind that always came. And then he was raising his arms. He didn't want to, but it was as if someone else was controlling his body.  
"No!" he yelled, trying to clench his fingers into fists. "No, stop!" But already his fingers were opening and he could feel the power surging through his body. It was like a tidal wave, growing every second. And then the lightning shot out at Piper.  
**


	52. Chapter 51

**"What was that?" Prue's eyes went straight to the ceiling as she heard a crashing sound from above. There were only two other people in the house, one was sick and one was half demon. Prue swallowed hard as she jumped to her feet. "I knew we shouldn't have left him alone!"  
"Prue, wait!" Phoebe tried to stop her, but Prue wasn't ready to listen. She took off down the hallway and ran up the stairs with Leo and Phoebe in hot pursuit.  
"Piper!" Prue hurried towards her sister's door. It was shaking and she could see little flashes of light underneath.  
"Piper!" She grabbed the doorknob, twisting it from side to side. But it was locked. Inside the room she could hear things falling over, smashing onto the floor. And there was that terrible howl that made a shiver run up Prue's spine. She pounded on the door once, twice and then a third and fourth time.  
"What's happening?" Phoebe asked, still breathless from their race up the stairs.  
"I don't know," Prue said. She stepped back quickly. If she couldn't get through the door then the astral plane would have to do. She was just about to close her eyes when all of the noises suddenly stopped. Prue watched as the doorknob turned and the door slowly swung open. Danny was standing over in the corner, his eyes wide, his entire body trembling. Prue could see little beads of sweat on his forehead as he took several deep breaths.  
"Oh my God." Leo edged past Prue and stepped into the room. The furniture had shifted and a few things lay broken. But as Prue turned to stare at Leo, she realized what the whitelighter had really been looking at. His gaze was trained directly on Piper.  
"Hey," he said moving over to her bed. He grabbed her hand gently and Prue's mouth dropped open as Piper blinked.  
"Piper?" Prue and Phoebe rushed over to their sister. Piper looked okay, a little confused, but otherwise unhurt. Prue turned her eyes on Danny. "What did you do to her?"  
"I don't know," he said, shaking his head slowly. "I just touched her arm that's all and then all this power came..." He swallowed. "I don't know where from."  
"Piper, honey," Phoebe was grinning as she sat down on the bed next to her sister. She touched Piper's face, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "You okay?"  
"Yeah." Piper sat up slowly as Leo held her up from behind. Then she glanced up at her sisters. "I take it we won?"   
Phoebe laughed and threw her arms around Piper. Prue looked over at Leo and smiled. It was over, and yes, they had definitely won. **

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**"You sure you're all right?" Leo asked again as they stood by the front door. Piper smiled and nodded for the third time. She was still feeling a little shaky but it would pass. She was alive, she was breathing, and that was good enough for her. Now if she could just get Leo to understand that. He'd been summoned nearly twenty minutes before, but he didn't seem too anxious to leave this time. Piper wasn't exactly anxious to see him go, but his duty did call.  
"I'm fine," she said, holding up her formerly injured hand. "Look, no blood, no cut. You wouldn't even know that anything happened."  
Leo bit his lip, trying not to smile. Then he leaned forward a little so that he could see into the living room. Piper turned to follow his gaze. Prue and Phoebe stood there next to the couch, one with a garbage bag and one with a broom. They'd been working for almost an hour, but it didn't look like they were making much progress.  
"Okay, so maybe you'd know." Piper nodded. She grinned as she played with the strings on her pajama pants, then glanced over at Leo. "But at least I get to skip out on clean-up duty."   
"You guilt trip them?"   
"They guilt tripped themselves," Piper said. "I didn't have to do anything."   
"Well that must be nice for a change."  
"Oh, it is," Piper said, leaning back against the wall. "Sadly, it will only last until the next Halliwell comes close to dying. I think we sort of switch off in that department."  
"Well as long as it's close to dying and not actually doing the-" he stopped. "You know..."  
"The dying?"  
"Yeah." Leo smiled. "Just don't do any of that."  
"I won't. Promise." She leaned forward and kissed him. But by the time she pulled away he was already gone. Piper sighed, but she knew it was better that way. It was far too hard to get Leo to leave sometimes and it was even harder saying goodbye.  
"How you guys doing in there?" she asked as she came back into the living room. She waded back through the piles of toys and stuffing left over from various pillows and cushions, then stopped and glanced around, inspecting the room.  
"Well, Prue and I figure we'll have this cleaned up..." Phoebe nodded. "in about a week."  
"A week, huh?" Piper pressed her lips together then went over and put her arm around her youngest sister's shoulder. "Well, that's not going to work. Because you see, that play of yours, it doesn't have a theater. And even before we lost theater number two I told the kids they could come over and practice on Wednesday...here."   
"Here?" Phoebe's shoulders slumped.  
"Be glad I said Wednesday," Piper said. "Your dear older sister told them they should come over tomorrow."  
"She did?" Phoebe turned and glared at Prue.  
"Oh God, I did." Prue put her hand up to her forehead, then looked over at Piper, a pained expression on her face. "What else did we do? I mean, I think I remember just about everything, but-"  
"How about the horse?"  
"Oh." Prue scrunched her eyes shut as Piper tried not to laugh. "I forgot about that."  
"And your sticking the duck in the bathtub." Phoebe took a step closer to Prue, a small smile appearing on her face. She shoved the broom at her. "And throwing me across the room."  
"Hey." Prue handed the broom back over as a grin spread across her face. "At least I didn't flash Leo and half the hospital staff."  
Phoebe winced and Piper burst out laughing. Both of her sisters were going to have lots of embarrassing memories. At least she'd only gotten a headache and some bruises. She was beginning to think she'd fared the best out of all of them.  
"We were bratty, selfish, horrible little kids," Prue said.  
"Yeah, with adult minds and powers," Phoebe said. "Now I guess we know why Grams was never in a hurry to unbind them."   
"Don't be too hard on yourselves," Piper said as she walked over to the couch. She hefted the Book of Shadows in both arms. "You guys still had your good points. Phoebe, you were actually pretty sweet. And Prue you were actually pretty..."  
"Obnoxious?" Phoebe suggested.  
"I was going to say creative." Piper smiled, kicking at the piles of paper that Phoebe had swept up. Then she glanced over at Prue. "But that could work."  
"Hey, I wasn't so bad," Prue protested.  
"Tell that to our neighbor." Piper handed the book over to Prue, forcing her to drop her trash bag. "I think you might need this by the way."  
"Oh Piper, I really don't think you want me casting any more spells," Prue said.  
"No- definitely not," Piper said. "But I think you might want to reverse a few, starting with the ones for personal gain."  
"But they were all for personal gain," Phoebe said.  
"Exactly."  
"Okay, fine." Prue collapsed onto the couch, looking somewhat relieved to get out of her clean up duties. Then she glanced over at Phoebe and patted the cushion next to her. Phoebe quickly took her place and together they flipped through the large volume. "Where do we start?"  
"I'd suggest the driveway," Piper called to them as she headed towards the stairs. She glanced back at her sisters and saw them turn to regard each other.  
"The driveway?" Phoebe's eyebrows narrowed then she jumped up and ran to the window. Prue was next to her a second later, trying to see for herself. "Oh, oh the Porches! Wow, can I have the red one?"  
"Phoebe!"  
"Oh, come on. Just for a day, maybe two…" Phoebe said. "three at most."  
"Personal gain, Pheebs," Prue said. "They gotta go."  
"Fine, but yours is going first then," Phoebe insisted, nudging her sister. Then she pointed back out the window, pressing her nose up against the glass. "But maybe we should just take a quick spin right now, you know before the spell. Just so that we know what we've lost."  
"It would be kind of like a punishment." Prue nodded. "I mean it couldn't really hurt."  
"Hey!" Piper stopped halfway up the stairs. She turned and glared at them, crossing her arms. "Don't make me ground you guys!"  
Prue and Phoebe turned and went back to the couch, quickly flipping to the reversal spells. Piper was about to start up again, but she stopped and glanced back at her sister.  
"Oh, and Phoebe..."  
"Yeah?"   
"If you um, you know, see Faith again," she dropped her voice a little and looked down at her feet. Then she sighed, and lifted her head just enough to meet Phoebe's eyes. "Can you tell her I'm sorry?"  
"Piper, she knew," Phoebe said. "She always knew. And it's okay now."  
Piper nodded, seeing her younger sister's concerned expression. She waited for her to turn away, before she finally made her way up the stairs.  
"Well, now I know," she said under her breath. It was a start anyway. Maybe if Faith could learn to forgive her, then she still had a shot at forgiving herself.   
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**Danny stared at his reflection for a long time, watching his own face in the bathroom mirror. He tried to imagine himself transforming in the way that his uncle had. How had it felt, he wondered. And how close had he come to finding out for himself?  
He turned as he heard a knock at the door. Taking a few hesitant steps, he went over and opened it. There stood Piper, looking almost normal. Danny could tell that she was exhausted, but she was trying hard to hide it. She smiled and he suddenly realized that he had been staring.  
"You okay?" she asked.  
"I guess." He shrugged. He had no idea what to say to her. What was there to say to someone whose entire life you had already seen, or worse yet, whose life you had nearly taken away? "I'm fine."  
"You don't look fine," she said, her smile growing as she walked farther into the bathroom.  
"Well neither do you." Danny glanced down at the ground. "And that's because of me. All of this." He held his hands out. "I did it."  
"Okay, we both know that's not true," she said. As he watched, she went over to the medicine cabinet and pulled out some bandages. Then she took his hand. Danny pulled back immediately, remembering what had happened the last time that they'd touched. But Piper wouldn't let go and she carefully wrapped some gauze around his palm. "We should've had Leo heal this."  
"I don't think he would've wanted to."  
"Danny." Piper sighed. "He doesn't blame you for what happened."  
"He should."   
"No, he shouldn't. It wasn't your fault, believe me." She rolled her eyes. "We were just as fooled as you were."  
"Yeah, but you didn't try to kill me."  
"Well if you'd given me a couple more minutes..." Piper trailed off then started to laugh. He caught sight of himself in the mirror and the horrified expression on his face. "I was kidding."  
"Sure you were." He smiled a little as he lifted his hand to examine her handiwork. "Looks pretty good."  
"Well not as good as mine." She held up her own hand. "But it'll have to do."  
"Who was he?" Danny asked, seeing the smile on Piper's face. There was definitely something special about her boyfriend. "That guy, Leo. How did he do that?"  
"Let's save that conversation for tomorrow, shall we?"   
"Sure." Danny nodded as Piper led him out of the bathroom. They walked down the hall until she stopped finally, pushing open a door. He followed her inside as she motioned towards some blankets folded up on the chair.  
"This is Phoebe's room," she said. "You can sleep here. Your aunt's supposed to pick you up tomorrow."  
"What did you tell her?" Danny asked, biting his lip. How would they ever explain the disappearance of an entire branch of his family? His aunt was a witch of course, like his mom, but still, it wouldn't be easy to say, even to her.  
"I told her the truth," Piper said, smiling as she unfolded the blankets for him. "Well most of it anyway, you know, excluding the whole connection, you trying to kill me, committing arson and destroying church property part..."  
"Thanks... I guess." Danny laughed a little. It felt nice to laugh again. Piper was definitely okay. Thankfully he didn't feel the same way about her, but he knew they were friends now. And that was good.  
"She didn't know about Edward," Piper said. "I guess your mom never told her."  
"No," Danny said. "Mom wasn't like that. She was kind of secretive."   
Piper looked down at the ground for a moment, playing with the corners of the blanket. Danny could see the uncertainty on her face, the sadness she still held.  
"I am sorry about your mom," she said finally.  
"I'm sorry about yours."  
Piper glanced up at him and nodded. They both understood. All was forgiven. They could hardly blame each other for something Edward had caused. As different as she was from him, Danny knew Piper would get it. She'd lost her mother, and it had hurt her every bit as much as it had hurt him. That was just the way things were.  
"My powers are gone by the way," Danny said. "I think I lost them, for now at least. Whatever I did at the theater, it's like I used them up or something. But I think that's okay."   
"But what about..." Piper turned to stare at him as she spread the blankets over the bed. "I mean how did you-" She stopped and sat down on the comforter, looking confused. "I didn't heal myself."  
"But that energy wasn't mine," Danny said. He turned and walked over to the window where his bag was. He rifled through it for a moment before his hands touched the cover of his magic book. Quickly he tossed it aside, then continued searching. Finally, he pulled out his pajamas.  
"So where did it come from?"  
"I don't know..." Danny stared out the window, watching the rain beat down on the streets. He could see Piper's reflection in the pane glass windows. She seemed to nod to herself. Then she turned slowly and walked out of the room, leaving him to his thoughts.   
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**"I really, really, don't understand why we're watching this," Prue said, shaking her head. She glanced over at Phoebe who had managed to find a little bit of space on the floor. She had lined up some of the couch pillows and was now laying across them, staring intently at the TV.  
"Shh!" Phoebe put one finger up to her mouth. "This is the best part!"  
Prue rolled her eyes and watched as Dorothy clicked her heels a few times, telling the whole world how great her home was. It was enough to make Prue gag. At least she didn't have to say those lines anymore. Phoebe had finally found a full cast for the play, and now all her sisters had to do was survive watching the scenes on their TV over and over again. Prue waited as the rest of the movie played through and the ending credits came up.  
"Finally," she muttered. Phoebe rolled over onto her back and smiled at Prue. The oldest Halliwell was sitting down at one end of the couch. Piper had spread out across it, her head on a pillow in Prue's lap. But she had long since fallen asleep and now she lay there, under the blanket Phoebe had tossed over them. Prue glanced down at her sister, then pulled the blanket a little bit tighter around her.  
"Well, I think we'll be set for the play now," Phoebe said as she sat up. "I've rescheduled for two weeks from today."  
"Phoebe, you were already set for the play," Prue insisted. "You didn't need to watch the movie for the twentieth time."   
"I know." Phoebe shrugged, folding her legs in front of her. "But we were both wired and it sure beats cleaning up the rest of the house...or thinking about what almost happened tonight."  
"Yeah," Prue said, glancing down at Piper again. "I know Danny's spell was an accident, but I can't stop thinking about it. I mean I basically let this happen. I left you guys here."   
"Prue, if we've learned anything from this, it's that you can't always be our mother," Phoebe said, crawling over to her sister until she was right at Prue's feet. "I think we did okay. I mean we're all still here and that's what matters."  
"Good point," Prue said, stifling a yawn. She rubbed her eyes, suddenly realizing how tired she was. It had been a long day, a long couple of days actually. She looked down at Piper again, then bit her lip. She couldn't bring herself to wake her sleeping sister. Out of all of them, Piper was the one who truly needed the rest.   
Prue eyed Phoebe for a moment, then smiled. There were definitely some advantages to being a witch. She looked from Phoebe back to Piper, then slowly lifted her hands, concentrating hard. She watched as Piper lifted off of the couch into the air, just enough for Prue to slip out from underneath her. Then Prue turned and lowered her hands as Piper gently drifted back onto the cushions, still sound asleep.  
"Pretty impressive," Phoebe whispered, patting Prue on the shoulder.  
"Thank you."   
They both turned as they saw a familiar shimmer of light coming from the doorway. In a moment, Leo had appeared. He smiled when he spotted them, then wandered into the room.  
"I just came to check on Piper," he said. "How is she?"  
"Asleep actually." Prue nodded down towards the couch. "But she looked kind of peaceful. I was just going to leave her there."   
"You mind if I take her up to her room?" Leo asked, leaning over the couch.  
"Go for it," Prue said as she saw Phoebe nod. She started out of the room, nudging her little sister along.  
"We'll just be…"  
"Upstairs," Prue finished for her. She tugged lightly on Phoebe's arm, pulling her away. Phoebe sighed, and finally started up the steps. Prue followed her, but stopped part way up, turning back towards Leo and Piper. She leaned over the railing, watching as Leo gently picked her sister up in his arms. Then he glanced upward. In a moment, they were gone. The room was empty.   
 **

**Leo felt that familiar tingle as Piper's room came into focus. He looked around in the darkness, then spotted her bed. Slowly he made his way over to it, then set Piper down, pulling the blankets up over her. As he watched, she burrowed down into them, nearly disappearing under her comforter, so that only the top of her head was visible.  
He glanced over at her bedside table and spotted the picture Phoebe had made for her. He picked it up and examined it more closely, then set it back down so that Piper would see it when she woke up. It was hard to believe that Phoebe had drawn that less than twenty four hours before. So very much had happened since then. But it had turned out all right. They had made it through once again.  
He looked down at Piper one last time, then watched as she rolled over, knocking her blankets off of her bed. She smiled a little in her sleep and he pulled her comforter back up around her. Leo touched her face gently, then bent down and kissed her on the forehead. After a moment, he stepped back, disappearing into a shimmer of light.  
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**Through the darkness, Faith could see him, laying there, hugging the pillow that Piper had given him. Faith walked over to her son and stood over him, smiling as he moved in his sleep. How little he knew about the magic that ran through his veins. There was so much for him to learn. Channeling the energy of the higher powers was just one of the lessons she could have taught him. But now it would be up to her sister. Faith had given him one final gift, the ability to save Piper. And now she would have to leave him. It was time to move on.   
Already she could see the white light emanating from one of the walls. Where there should have been solid wood, there was now something else, something beautiful. But as she wandered towards it, she caught sight of the book Danny had cast aside. She stepped over towards it, and using the last of her energy, managed to flip it open to the child spell. Faith smiled, remembering all of the trouble Piper had had with her sisters. Everyone needed a break some time, right? Actually, it'd be more like a vacation, a present. Faith nodded to herself, glancing down at the words once again.**


	53. Epilogue

**"The storm of the new century appears to be winding down," a voice started. "After days of record rain and down right odd weather for this time of year, the system finally seems to be moving on towards the mountains. People in the Sierra had better watch out..."   
Phoebe groaned as the radio announcer broke into her sleep. She reached up towards Piper's bedside table and felt around for the alarm clock. But unable to find the snooze button, she knocked it off of the table instead, wincing as it clattered to the floor beside her. But at least it was silent.   
"Oh, that was nice," she heard Prue mumble. Phoebe slowly opened her eyes and rolled over. Prue was laying in a sleeping bag a few feet away, squinting up at the morning light. She yawned then propped herself up with her hands, eyeing the clock on the ground. "I think you're going to owe her a new one."  
"It'll be worth it," Phoebe said, hugging her pillow as she smiled at Prue. "Yesterday was far too long for us to be getting up this early. We need to recharge the Wiccan batteries."  
"Yeah, well tell that to Piper," Prue said as she stood.   
Phoebe's eyebrows rose and she rolled over again, reluctantly sitting up. She peered over the edge of Piper's bed, a little surprised to find it empty. She and Prue had sneaked in after Leo had left, just to make sure that their sister was safe. Sure Faith had turned out to be friendly, somewhat anyway, but old habits died hard.  
"You're telling me that after all that, she gets the chance to sleep in, and she doesn't?" Phoebe's eyes widened as she leaned against the side of the bed. "Now that's impressive."  
"Yeah, well if she can do it, I guess there's hope for you yet."   
"Not quite yet." Phoebe shook her head and fell back into her own sleeping bag. She closed her eyes and stretched, feeling the blood rush into her limbs. Then she opened her eyes again, staring up at her older sister. "Hey, did you hear her get up?"  
"No," Prue said as she started out of the room. "It must have been awhile ago though, because ..." she trailed off as she turned back in the doorway. Phoebe didn't move for a moment as she and Prue stared at each other.  
"You're sure Faith was on our side right?" Prue said, laughing a little. But her laugh was hesitant and she was obviously worried. Phoebe knew that they were thinking the exact same thing. "I mean, it's not like she would've been angry still..."  
"No," Phoebe shook her head, rolling her eyes at Prue. But as she did the room fell silent and they stared at each other for a few seconds more. Then Prue abruptly turned back towards the hall as Phoebe leapt to her feet. Together they raced for the stairs.  
"Piper!" **

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**"Piper!" Prue grabbed the banister to steady herself as she leapt down the remaining few steps. Phoebe was hot on her heels. As they stood there for a moment, surveying the house, Prue bit her lip. It was silly, she knew, pure paranoia. But still...  
"Kit, I told you to stop it!"  
Prue glanced over at Phoebe as she heard Piper's voice. Then she turned slowly and started towards the kitchen, her heart sinking a little. Prue came to a halt in the doorway and Phoebe nearly ran into her. Prue heard her sister gasp behind her. But after a moment, Phoebe started to giggle. Prue put her hands on her hips, not finding it nearly as funny.  
"Now you erased Leo's house," Piper was saying. Prue could hear the disapproval in her voice. "He's gonna be mad at you."   
Prue stared down at her younger sister resisting the urge to turn and run screaming. Piper was sitting there in the middle of the floor, surrounded by various bottles and bags. She had food coloring all over her fingers and as Prue glanced around she saw red and green finger paintings decorating the kitchen. All of the flour they'd worked so hard to clean up the previous day was spread out around her and there were large white streaks in Piper's ponytail and all down her pajamas.  
Piper leaned forward over a pile of flour that she'd clearly been drawing in. But now there were tiny footprints running across it and Piper scrunched up her face in annoyance. Prue turned and sighed as she saw her floury cat making a dash for the living room.  
She whirled around then, pulling Phoebe back from the doorway. Panic was setting in as she stared at her younger sister, trying not to think about the sister they'd left in the kitchen. They didn't need this. The kid thing should have been over and done with. The supernatural world was not playing fair.  
"What the hell happened?" Prue demanded, lowering her voice to a whisper. "She's… she's-"  
"She's just like we were," Phoebe said finally. "A sweet little kid- well maybe not like you were."  
"Oh God," Prue said. "This is like our punishment, isn't it? Where's Danny? I think we'd better have a chat with him."   
"No way, it wasn't him," Phoebe insisted. "He promised Piper he wouldn't mess with magic anymore. I don't think he'd do this, especially not to her."   
"So what do we do?" Prue asked. "I mean, it'll wear off right?"  
"I guess we'd better hope so." Phoebe smiled as she shoved her sister back towards the kitchen. "Besides it can't be that bad. There are two of us and only one of her."  
"Uh-huh." Prue nodded, trying to convince herself.  
"And you always liked playing mom."  
"Nuh-uh." Prue shook her head. "It's your turn now. We're going down the Halliwell line and your name's next on the list."  
She stopped in the doorway, even as Phoebe tried to nudge her through. But Prue was still hoping, still praying that there was some other reason for Piper's behavior. Maybe her sister had just felt a little goofy this morning. Finally, she reluctantly leaned into the kitchen.  
"Piper, what are you doing?"  
"Good morning!" Piper's head shot up and Prue could see little blues lines of food coloring on both of her cheeks. Piper grinned as she spotted her sister, then gestured towards her flour masterpiece. Phoebe pushed past Prue and went over to Piper, kneeling down next to her.  
"What did you make, sweetie?" Phoebe asked. Prue just crossed her arms as she leaned against the wall. Somebody, somewhere was having a great big laugh at their expense.  
"That's our house." Piper pointed to a scribble she'd made in the flour. "And that's Leo's and that's Kit's."  
"And what's that up there?" Phoebe glanced up at a little figure she'd drawn above all the rest. Piper's expression turned thoughtful and she pressed her lips together for a moment. Then she hugged her knees to her chest, giving Phoebe a shy little smile.   
"That's Mommy," she said. And then she gestured over to one other tiny dot that Prue hadn't noticed. "And that's Faith. They're watching us now."   
"I guess so," Phoebe said finally as she glanced up at Prue. Their eyes met and Prue sighed as she stepped into the kitchen. Well, it was going to be a long couple of days, but at least it would be interesting. And it'd be easier taking care of Piper. She'd always been the mellowest child, never as strong willed as Prue, or as goofy as Phoebe, but somewhere right in the middle where she had always belonged.  
Prue crouched down next to Piper, putting her arm around her younger sister.  
"That's beautiful, Piper," she said. "You did a great job."  
"Thank you." Piper turned abruptly and threw her arms around Prue, nearly knocking her over. "I love you," she said, burying her head in Prue's shoulder. Prue held her tightly for a moment, smiling over at Phoebe. Then Piper finally let go and whirled around to hug her other sister. "And I love you too."   
Phoebe started to laugh as Piper kissed her on the cheek, then jumped to her feet, running out of the kitchen.  
"Oh," Prue winced as she saw the flour-y footprints she was leaving behind. But she didn't have the heart to stop Piper. Instead she looked over at Phoebe, who was trying to rub the food coloring from her clothes.   
"I hope Danny's still asleep. I don't feel like trying to explain this to him."  
"Especially when we don't even know how it happened."   
"The spell must have gotten cast again," Phoebe said as she rolled up the flour bag.  
"Yeah, but who did it?" Prue said. "And why aren't we affected?"  
"I guess we're immune now." Phoebe smiled. "And thankfully too. Could you imagine all three of us...?"  
Prue's eyes widened at the thought. "Well, it obviously could have been worse."  
The doorbell rang. Phoebe froze as Prue turned to stare at her. For a moment, the house was completely silent but then Prue heard the sound of footsteps pounding down the stairs.  
"Door!"  
Piper's voice echoed through the house. Phoebe scrambled to her feet, slipping on the mounds of flour their sister had left behind. She glanced back at Prue as she ran from the room.  
"Oh, you had to say that didn't you?"  
Prue just shrugged, refusing to get up. _Let Phoebe take the first shift,_ she thought. She could handle one little girl on her own. And once Leo arrived, they could pass off the duty to him. After all, whitelighters were supposed to take care of witches, right? He would certainly take care of Piper. It would only be a matter of time before the spell wore off. _Soon enough,_ Prue reminded herself.   
She could hear the front door open then and the sound of laughter swept through the house.  
"Hey, no!" Phoebe said. "No freezing the deliveryman!"   
But the laughter continued and after a moment Prue smiled. Leaning back against the leg of the table, she sighed. It would all be okay.   
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**"I checked it over," Phoebe said, hefting a box into the living room. She dropped it gently on the couch, then sat down beside it. "No ticking, nothing demonic inside. Just a bunch of those little Styrofoam thingys. Piper got really excited..."  
Prue glanced up from her sweeping and regarded her sister. Then she stepped over to the box, opening up the top flap.  
"I think it's the photo equipment I ordered," she said. "I'll worry about it later I guess. I think we'd better clean this up first."  
"Oh why bother?" Phoebe asked with a smile. "We're witches. Household destruction, it's all part of the game. And now with Piper... I doubt the house'll stay clean for long."  
"Where is she anyway?"  
"Outside I think." Phoebe shrugged as she leaned back against the couch.  
"You left her outside in the rain?"  
"Oh Prue, it's barely raining," Phoebe insisted. "She's not going to drown."  
"Well, she could get lost," Prue put the broom aside and started towards the hall. "Or kidnapped- again."  
Phoebe laughed as Prue grabbed her jacket from the coat rack, and threw open the door, feeling a light sprinkle of rain on her face. She was about to go outside when she stopped, staring out towards the street.  
"My car!"  
"What?" Phoebe rushed up behind her, trying to see past Prue. "Did Piper take it? I told her not to touch the gear shift!"  
"No," Prue gritted her teeth as she turned to face Phoebe. "No, she didn't take it. But who gave her the keys?"  
"Oh," Phoebe's expression turned sheepish. "I guess that was a no-no, huh?"  
"Uh-huh." Prue nodded and turned around again, her eyes drawn to her precious vehicle. It was still in its place at the curb, but the engine was running, the door was open, and the radio was blaring, the sound reverberating all down the street. And there on the front lawn was Piper, dancing under the misty rain. The first rays of sunshine were creeping out from behind the clouds and shining down on the city. And Piper seemed to be sucking it all in as she twirled around, giggling with the music.  
"The neighbors must love us this week," Prue muttered, raising her voice to be heard over the radio. Then she crossed her arms and stepped out onto the front porch. "Forget the neighbors! Look at my car! The seats are getting all wet."   
"Uptight again," Phoebe said as she stood by her side. Prue rolled her eyes, shaking her head at her sister.  
"Phoebe, she's going to wake up half the city."  
"The city's already awake," Phoebe insisted, gently grabbing her sister's arm and pulling her down the front steps. "And besides, the storm's over. Everyone will be out soon."  
"One more reason why we should be in." Prue stumbled along beside Phoebe. "What are you doing?"  
"It's time to dance," Phoebe said. But Prue shook her head, trying to wriggle out of her grasp.  
"No way, I don't think so."  
"Come on," Phoebe smiled playfully at her, dragging her onto the grass. She gestured towards their sister. "Do it for Piper. Look how happy she is."  
Prue stood there for a moment as Phoebe released her. She watched Piper as the younger girl spun around, turning her face up to the sky. The mist was slowly subsiding and the sun was growing ever brighter. It was going to be a beautiful day.  
"All right," she said finally, a smile spreading across her face as she took the hand Phoebe held out to her. "But only for you and Piper."  
Phoebe nodded as Piper came rushing towards them. They spent the next few minutes dancing out on the lawn and playing with Piper, laughing as the neighbors peered through their curtains. And somewhere along the way, Prue realized that she felt happy, really happy, for the first time in days. All of those images, all of those horrible thoughts of death and destruction and the demons that had tried to murder their sister...they had blown away with the storm, leaving only the three Halliwell sisters, spinning around in the sunlight. She glanced over at Piper, seeing for just a moment that little girl in the pigtails, the girl she'd promised to take care of so many years before. Piper grinned at her, then ran over and hugged her again. Prue smiled. It really would be a beautiful day. **


End file.
